


The Walking Dead: Rising Monsters

by LargestLobster1337



Category: The Walking Dead
Genre: Anxiety, Cold blooded Murder, Excessive Violence, F/M, Hallucinations, Homophobic Slurs, M/M, Physical Torture, Psychological Torture, Racial slurs, Sex, Supernatural Abilities, multiple trigger warnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:14:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 92,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21730636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LargestLobster1337/pseuds/LargestLobster1337
Summary: A boy with immense power crashes into a world overrun by the dead. Ps. it's a mess. But it's my mess,so imma run with it. Contains a grand amount of violence, a healthy amount of sex, a sprinkiling of slurs, a dash of tourture, and a cluster of confusion. May cause migranes and violent outbursts. Read at your own risk.
Relationships: M/M F/F





	1. Diagnostics

The manifestation portal was a bit higher then usual and I fell straight down into the rotten earth below me. The impact jarred my teeth and shocked me despite my inability to feel pain. I open my eyes, but I can't see. I immediately hear the soothing, female voice that only exists inside my head.

**_Critical damage sustained, Regeneration process engaging._ **

I keep my eyes open as light slowly becomes visible, followed by the entangled canopy of the trees around me. I notice a large break in the canopy, some of the tree branches were swinging and splintered from the impact of my body. I must have fallen from pretty high up, usually my manifestations occur on the ground, and I've never taken damage from them before. This world already seems different from the others.

**_Repairs complete._ **

_Thank you Alma._

I check my right leg, an advanced prosthetic of unknown origin entrapped by my bio-metalic suit. slowly I begin rotating the ankle and bending at the knee to make sure it's still attached, and Im happy to say it is. I shift into a crouch and slowly get to my feet scanning my surroundings, looking for any signs of life. Nothing but forest, and a few buzzing insects. I run my hands over my black, skintight suit, checking for tearing in the crevices between the armored plates that make up the suit. Looks like I lucked out! The suit is intact, the interior water bladder is 98% full too! Pockets and holsters are empty though, and I have no tools or weapons. 

**_Running diagnostics._ **

**_Heads up display: Online_ **

**_Automatic regeneration: Online_ **

**_Alma personality matrix: Disabled_ **

**_Flesh skin: Active_ **

**_Combat skin: Disabled_ **

**_Leviathan skin: Disabled_ **

**_Weapons: Disabled_ **

**_Shields: 100%_ **

The limitations of this dimension are much more oppressive then the last two. Even Alma is disabled? This planet will test my evolution, wont it? I like being challenged, and I'm well adjusted to this form, but with such major factors of both my offensive and defensive capabilities, I must admit to myself that I'm nervous.....just a little. 

I smirk to myself, allowing my nerves to flow, I had at times felt a bit anxious leading up to my previous engagements. But I had always came out on top, usually without much resistance.....with a few exceptions. This form isn't my strongest or fastest, the power of my combat skin dwarfs this body's, and the Leviathan is a extinction level event on legs. But this form is still far from useless, and I have my instincts to guide me. 

I begin making my way North, quickly but quietly. Elegantly dancing through the trees, my built in shoes muffling the snapping of twigs and leaves beneath my weight. My eyes scanning for any signs of life as I move, My mind focusing on the task at hand. 

After the first six miles of nothing but trees and the occasional squirrel or bird I stumble across a long, bare, black road. I had seen these previously in the first world, however this one seems to be in better condition. 

_Are those cars?_

**_Personality matrix disabled_ **

_Oh, right._

These vehicles are different in design from the ones I've seen in the past, a bit sleeker, less militant, but I'm confident that they have the same purpose. I don't see any weapons on them, so I'm confident that the humans of this world used them as a means of transportation, before being abandoned for whatever reason.

I smile to myself, reveling in my surroundings as I skip down the highway, admiring the designs and colors of the abandoned vehicles. I take my time to read the plates on some of the cars, carefully mouthing what I read to practice pronouncing the words, learning the language as I go.

"Ford? Chevy? Lincoln? Baby on board? People here must name their vehicles." I giggle, tracing the letters with my index finger and mouths the word as I do it.

People often named their horses and pets in the last two worlds, but rarely their machines. this world already shows signs of being different from the last two, in terms of both technology and climate conditions. I haven't read signs of any radiation, excluding the sun of course. Naming inanimate objects wouldn't be so far fetched.

**_Motion detected!_** The voice in my head rings out, and a holographic box appears around a group of slow moving humanoids, about seven of them. Are they.....decaying? Thats not radiation scaring. 

I quickly advance towards the group, using the vehicles to mask my approach. I stop and crouch behind a large black truck, waiting for the hoard to approach. These things almost look like the ferals of the first world, but their movements are different, slower and less coordinated. Simply just shuffling forward and moaning. The ferals of the first world never bothered me, they seemed almost uninterested in my actions, choosing to attack anything and everything that wasn't me. They're only motive was to kill and survive, anything that wasn't a feral was a target. I've wracked my brain countless times to try and understand why they never launched an attack on me. they noticed me for sure, I would see them tracking my movements, and at times they would even follow me, forming a pack with me as their leader, but they never turned hostile. I wonder if these ones are as friendly as they were.

I move out of cover and wave my arms, attempting to attract the attention of the approaching corpses. "Hello!" I cheer in my newly learned language, jumping from side to side cheerfully. "Are you guys mean?" 

Every single corpse put me in their sights, there groans reverberating off of the vehicles as their shuffling path adjusts in a direction leading to me. This response is reminiscent of the ferals. However, the ferals never had any auditory reaction to me. 

"Sooo is that a yes or a no?" I ask, not that I'm expecting a verbal response, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I don't like these moans, they make my skin crawl. _Fuck it!_ I mentally scream and prepare plan of attack. _Take it slow!_

I focus on the corpse infront of me, he's about my height, but his body looks soft. This corpse is old, weak and slow. This won't take long. 

The corpse lunges forward and attempts to grab me, its bony hands reaching forward. I easily dance out of reach, raising my real leg and delivering a side kick to its knee, breaking it like a overcooked chicken bone. I back off and observe the corpse as it claws its way towards me, breaking the skin on its fingers.

"You don't react to pain?" I note aloud as I stomp on its head, driving my heel through its skull. 

"Ewww! Your head exploded like a pumpkin!" I screech. Having a skull so easily destroyed was.... unsettling, Maybe I put too much force? I move on to the second corpse, this one was a bit shorter, but fresh. 

"You're not as far gone as the last one. Do you know that? Can you understand me?" I ask aloud, however the female corpse didn't respond to my words, instead choosing to raise its arms out at me like the previous one did. 

I move into range and perform a quick jab to her solar plexus before dancing backwards out of range. Her moans are silenced briefly, telling me that I had successfully disrupted her breathing. Alas her advance continued as if I had done nothing at all. 

I raise eyebrow at the corpse. "You don't need air." I say before I move forward again, slipping under her swipes and wrapping my arms around her head, snapping her neck and allowing the corpse to collapse to the ground. Her jaws continued to open and close despite the paralysis to the rest of her body. 

"Your weakness must be your brain. If I destroy that do you die?" I ask the corpse. Why do I always talk to things that never talk back?

I raise my foot and bring it back down hard on the back of her skull, cracking it and killing the corpse. I will admit that Im relived her head didn't explode like that last one did. I scrape the blood and brains off the bottom of my shoe. " _Well that didn't take long."_

_Should I kill the rest of them? I think I know everything I need to._ I flip a mental coin and decided. 

I shrug my shoulders. " _Might as well."_ I decide aloud before breaking into a sprint towards the nearest corpse, jumping in the air and extending my leg while screaming "kyah!" 

My foot collides with the corpse's chest and the impact slams the first corpse into the one behind it, knocking them both to the ground, allowing me time the deal with the corpse approaching from my right. I crouch and plant my hand on the ground spinning into a leg kick that knocks its feet out from under it. It collapses onto the ground where I finish it off with a curb stomp. I jump from that corpse onto the two others, stomping on their heads repeatedly until they cave in. 

"Two more." I say aloud as I sprint forward again, using my prosthetic leg to perform a flying knee into the chest of the corpse, using my forward momentum to roll off of it before soccer kicking it in the head until its skull indents. 

I set my sights on the final corpse, the most well maintained. I start skipping towards it slowly, hoping to take my time and see what these things can really do. I dance into range and it reacts in same style as the rest, extending its arms forward. 

I let out a disappointed sigh."No variety?" I scoff before I perform a cartwheel, moving my prosthetic leg forward to where my metal foot will collide with its skull, knocking it over with a kick to the face. I grab its wrists and pin it down with my knee on its chest, observing its reaction. 

"Bridge up! Use your head dumbass!" I suggest as it continues to snap its jaws at me and struggle in my grip. I roll my eyes and stand before bringing the heel of my foot down hard on its skull, killing it. I look around for any other corpses I could test. 

_"That ... thats it?"_ I whisper aloud in disappointment before letting out another loud sigh. 

_Cmon Alma, why am I here?_

**_Personality matrix disabled._**

I roll my bright cyan eyes _"yeah yeah Im aware."_ I growl before skipping down the street, jumping side to side on the balls of my feet.

I'd spent the next four hours on the highway, alleviating my boredom by killing the corpses that had the misfortune of standing in my path. So far the only people on this planet are fucking dead. However I did enjoy naming the corpses and giving them fun little back stories. 

"Gee golly Roland, its good to see ya!" I greet the advancing corpse, who responds by hissing and stumbling towards me. "Oh gee, she left? Ah thats a shame Roland" I say in a mocking accent putting my hands on my hips and kick a rock on the the ground, watching it skip towards the corpse. "Look on the bright side! At least you can go back to choking on cock!" I gleefully joke before spinning into a crescent kick, knocking poor Roland over. "Sorry Roland, but you know this dick is off limits to zombies." 

I stomp on his head and continued on my way, switching back into my bored behavior. Every once in a while I begin smacking my head with my hand, hoping for my inner companion to activate. 

_Alma you bitch tell me what to do!_

**_Personality matrix disabled._ **

_"Your fucking mom is disabled!"_ I scream out in frustration, unsure of my objective on this world. The frustration gets to me and I throw my fist through a nearby car window, shattering the glass.

_You couldn't have dropped me onto a planet of puppies or big tittied nymphomaniacs?_

**_Personality matrix disabled._ **

_"Personality matrix disabled."_ I parrot in a mock accent. Eventually I spot a building erected on the side of the highway, looks like some sort of motel or apartment building. Im not sure due to the lack of official markings on its exterior. 

_"Well I got no where else to go."_ I say out loud to myself and start skipping towards the building. Ya know one of these times imma say something and someone else is gonna say something back and Im not gonna be prepared for it. 

Making my way up the external set of stairs I spot a unmarked, in damaged wooden door. _This will do._ I mentally declare as I knock on the door before putting my ear on it, listening for any movement but hearing only silence. Satisfied by the rooms vacancy, I take a step back before smashing my prosthetic foot into the door, targeting the area right under the lock. The door swings open as the bottom lock breaks, allowing me to step inside and observe the state of the room.

_"Well.....this place fucking sucks."_ I giggle before jumping on the couch and sending a cloud of dust into the air of small hotel room, the cluster hovers in the air for a moment before a slight breeze from outside sweeps it away, scattering the cloud around the room. 

"Imma find a way to keep you closed, mister door." I say to the door, praying it doesn't say anything back. Of course it didn't but hey! New world! It could have sentient doors. Better safe then sorry. I close the door and slide the couch against it to keep it closed. The sky had darkened considerably, and my hands are visible only to me. I wipe the dust off my hands and onto my bio-metallic Suit.

"Better go to sleep and recharge." 

I can just sleep away the fatigue, letting my CAM cells perform photosynthesis and provide energy for me to use tomorrow. Luckily this form uses the minimum amount of energy to operate, so I'll be able to operate for a while without eating, instead I'll be creating my own energy just by sleeping and absorbing sun light.

I check the bed for any bugs before shaking the blankets of the bed to get all the dust off it. To be honest this room isn't very bad, there's no holes in the wall and its well isolated....excluding the door of course. 

I wrap my lips around the hidden straw in the collar of my suit

And drink from my built in water bladder, using my fingers to press the straw back into the collar when Im done. I use both hands to trace the crevices of the bio-metallic plates that make up a decent portion of my suit, finding and pressing the hidden buttons in between my collarbones. The suit decompresses and falls to the floor, leaving me naked and allowing me to scan my tan skin, admiring the dark bruises left on my hip bone and sides by the impact of my manifestation. I climb into bed and deactivate my prosthetic, letting my thigh decompress and relax, I trace my fingers around the nub right under my knee, moving it around to feel the small, metallic spikes that lock the prosthetic into place retract back into my skin, making it look like I have a thick black rubber band tied around the nub of my leg. I place the prosthetic next to me, tucking it under the blanket before I snuggle with one of the two pillows, pulling it into my chest while I place my head on the softer pillow. I close my eyes and set my manual sleep timer to eight hours. _"Should Be Light by the time I awake."_ I whisper to myself before my systems go into a semi alert mode, allowing me to sleep.

——————————————-end 

When the MC speaks or thinks in _italics_ he's actually speaking or thinking in summarian.


	2. Snap and Pop

Eight days thirteen hours and four minutes. That's how long I've been on this planet. This stupid ass, boring ass, fucking bullshit ass planet! 

"Lets get the fuck outa here Bearverly!" Bearverly is a small stuffed bear toy I found while exploring a couple days ago, I decided to keep her in a attempt to fend off the loneliness. 

I had stayed at the hotel for three days but decided I should keep moving, hoping I could see something that would trigger something in me or reactivate Alma. I had stumbled across a small, destroyed town, but it was completely bare, excluding furniture of course. 

I saw a cat there, a nice little male cat with orange fur and little white spots on it. It followed me for a bit while I explored the town, brushing up against me and letting me pet him but eventually we parted ways. While I was there I noticed a fresh, dead corpse with its head bashed in and well.... I was hungry. 

"This is a bad idea." I say to the cat and the bear. I use my knee to snap the corpse's arm and begin twisting it, eventually tearing it off. I smell the arm"It doesn't smells like a normal human corpse." Fuck, what I wouldn't do for Alma right now, she loves this sort of shit. I bite down hard on the forearm, shaking my head rapidly to tear a piece off before chewing. The taste is fine at first but then the blood hit, it had a disgusting, sour taste and I could feel the coagulation on my tongue. 

I spit out the chunk of flesh before gaging and yelling "Eewwww fuck, that was dumb." I turn towards the cat "why did you let me do that!" I scream, making the cat flinch before glaring. 

For some reason I convinced myself the town made me do it, I grabbed Beaverly and stormed off. That was two days ago, I've running through the forest ever since.

_But it looks like today, things are different._

"Horse tracks? There's horses here!" I squeal out in excitement and begin running, following the tracks with my bear in my hand. 

"Do you think they're still nearby Bearverly?" I say looking down at the stuffed toy. 

_The fucking moment this bear responds Im tearing its head off._

I start running faster, following the narrow dirt trail that the horses have taken, I pay no attention to the corpses nearby, they can never catch me. 

_Alma, do horses have anything to do with the next clue?_

**_Personality matrix disabled._ **

_Worth a shot_. 

Speaking of shot, I hear six of them. Rapid succession, automatic weapon. Not sure of the caliber, and the trees are making hard to pinpoint the direction they came from. Should I take a guess and run in a random direction? Or should I follow the horse tracks?

"Maybe the horses have mounted weapons on them?" I'd pitched that Idea to the people on the second planet, they didn't go for it. " _Still a good Idea_." I bitterly whisper to myself and continue following the tracks. Eventually coming to a clearing.

I spot the horses, two of them, dead on ground. One rider is dead, looks like those gunshots I heard earlier hit their mark in that guy's chest. The other rider is trapped under his horse, struggling to push it off his leg. 

I take cover behind a tree and observe as three armed men emerged from the forest, there weapons trained on the trapped man. I can hear them yelling, but I cant make out the words, I move closer. 

An older man is in the middle of the triangle formation, allowing his rifle to rest, the other two men keep there weapons trained on the trapped man. The older man shouts "Where the fuck are the rest of you!?" 

The trapped man raises his hands "It's just me, I swear!" The one one the left, a teenager by the looks of it, lunges forward and kicks the exposed leg of the man trapped under the horse, making him scream in pain. "Agggghhh please! Don't kill me!" The man screams desperately.

Should I do something? I have no reason to help the man, but I feel like I should. 

"Go with your gut." I whisper to myself and look around for anything I could use as a weapon. My hand lands on Bearverly. 

"Lets tag team these fucks!" I throw Bearverly as hard as I can. She hits the older man in the back of his head with the force of a million meteorites! And by that I mean it hit him and made a squeaking noise, turns out Bearverly is a dog toy. 

"What the fuck!" The man screams and twists around, letting off a volley of gunfire into the forest. I hide behind a tree as the man sprays wildly, oblivious to my exact location. "Go find that fuck!" He orders as the teen and the other man charge the forest. 

I drop low and walk on all fours toward the man, who I just noticed was wearing a skull mask. He's a big guy! Muscle on muscle! I'd love to fight him one on one, but I doubt his buddies are going to allow that. Should I go to him? Or wait to see if he comes to me? 

I peak up and spot the teen about ten yards in front of muscles, then I turn to see the older man hiding behind the dead horse, gun barrel pressed on the trapped mans temple. 

Fuck it 

"Come here muscles!" I yell and tackle the large man, taking his gun away from him. The man gets back to his feet as I lightly toss the rifle into the forest, hoping to get my fist fight. 

The man charges at me with his head down. I place my hand on the top of his head, stopping him before putting slamming his head to the ground with a slap to the back of the head. The teenager turns and points his rifle at me. "Fr.. freeze!" He stutters nervously, his weapon shaking in his hands. 

I giggle at the boy "Ner-ner-nervous?" I mock, skipping side to side.

"Sh-shut up!" He screams still stuttering. He tightens his grip

On the rifle in a attempt to steady himself. The muscle man gets up and swings at me with a sloppy punch. I slip the punch, wrapping my arm around the mans throat and using him as a meat shield between me and the teen. 

The teens shoulders drop and his rifle points to the ground. The color in his face drains as hope dissipates. "Shoot him, Toby!" Muscle man groans in my arms, I flex my bicep around his throat, cutting off the blood circulation to his brain. He struggles briefly before going limp. I drop him before sprinting forward, screaming ferociously at the teen as he struggles to get me in his sights. He pulls the trigger, spraying bullets not at me but in my general direction. I slide behind a tree, shielding my eyes as bullets impacts the bark, sending splinters into the air. 

I feel something hit my back, making me lurch forward briefly. I turn around and spot the older man, still firing at me. "Fucking cheater!" I yell and flip the man off.

**_Damage sustained, regenerating._ **

"Good as new!" I giggle to myself, pleased at my quick recovery. I haven't had enough food to use any psionic powers, so im gonna have to get ahold of one of those guns! The teens gun goes quiet, signaling that he's out of ammo. I rounded the corner and sprint at him again. 

"Ah fuck!" The boy panics, struggling to grab a replacement magazine for the one he just spent. I'll be on him before he can even get his mag out of his pocket. He has a pocket knife on hanging from his waist band. 

I slow down into a walk, allowing the boy time. "Use your knife, dumbass." I chuckle as the boy looks at me in confusion, tears brimming in his bright hazel eyes. "Grab your knife!" I repeat, a bit louder then before. The boy yelps in fear, dropping his rifle and struggling to get his knife off of his waistband. He finally gets it and unfolds it before shakily pointing it at me. I step forward and he steps back. 

I sigh before talking "ya know it doesn't work when you're outta range, ri- ugh!" I'm interrupted by another bullet, this time it grazed my calf. "Give me Your ammo, that guys annoying." I command the boy, who just stands there, frozen in panic. I roll my eyes before lunging forward and grabbing his wrist, twisting it. 

He yelps in pain and rolls onto the ground, slamming his back on the forest floor and dropping the knife. "Ahh get off of me! Get off!" He screams repeatedly before I slam my knee into his solar plexus, knocking the air outta him, he goes silent. 

I grab the exposed rifle mag, wiggling it out of his pocket, I also make sure to kick his knife away, can't have him stabbing me in the back. 

I release his wrist and get off him. He curls up into a fetal position and gasps for air rapidly while I grab his rifle. I slam the magazine into its slot and cock it before charging into a nearby tree. I wanna make sure the boy doesn't get hit by his own guy, im still deciding what to do with him.

I set my sights on the old mans exposed head and scream "Drop the gun fuck face!" 

The man focuses his sights on me and retorts. "Fuck you! Drop your gun!"

"No fuck you! Drop your faggot ass gun!" 

"You're the one im the bdsm suit dumbass!" 

I gasp, this mother fucker thinks im running around in a sex suit! "It is a tactical biometalic body suit you fucking primate!"

"Fuck you!" 

"No fuck you!"

I stumble as something hits me from the right, I swing around and aim my rifle at Toby, he's sprawled out on the ground, both hands on his head. I get hit in the chest and fall on my butt but I spot who's firing. 

Mr. Muscles has awakened! 

I aim my rifle and let off three shots, two in the chest one in the head, he screams briefly before crumpling like paper. The tree I'm hiding behind splinters as the bullets riddle it. The old man really wants me dead! I get back into a crouched position and wait for my opening, the man is firing in three round bursts, I have no idea how large his magazine is, these weapons are different then the ones I'm used to. 

I peakout and fire off two shots, the first round barely misses his head but the second one hits it mark in between his eyes, sending brain matter out of the back of his skull. 

"That works." I whisper to myself, picking the bullet out of my chest plate, watching the suit refill the cracks. the armor did its job,It wouldn't have killed me, but it would take some time to regenerate. The shot that hit my side, right above my hip bone already healed. Imma get too tired if I keep taking shots like this. 

I hear whimpering behind me, Toby is crying? But why? Did I hit him that hard? I make my way to the sobbing boy, swinging the rifle onto my back, activating the suction magnet. 

_Hmmmm I wonder._

**_Calming touch activated._ **

_Yay! That still works!_

I gently place my hand on the back of the boys neck, letting my fingers poke his spine. He jumps at first but quickly relaxes. "There you go." I say in a soothing voice, rubbing the boys neck in gentle circles. I've done this in the past, humans are so prone to hysteria. This usually takes a couple of minutes, but it always works. 

The boys shaking slows but he's still crying. I can hear something in the distance, more gunshots. We need to go! Im bringing Toby, I know the difference between a threat and a scared kid, he's definitely scared. 

I sigh and roll my eyes before smacking the boy lightly on the head "You're lucky I have a soft spot for people like you, get up. It's time to go." 

He looks up at me with watery hazel eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. Why do white people get so red when they cry? Its weird. "What?" The boy whimpers so quietly I could barely hear him. 

I grab the boys by the back of his shirt, lifting him back to his feet. "We're leaving? Cmon, lets got get the guy under the horse." I saw grabbing his wrist and pulling him a couple feet before he yanks his wrist outta my grip. I sigh and turn to him. 

"Wh-why are yo-you bringing me?" He shakily stutters out. His bright hazel eyes glued to his feet. 

I take a moment to think, why am I bringing him? Maybe it's because he's a teen, like me? I mean Im not actually sure how old I truly am, but I look somewhere between fourteen and twenty years old. Maybe it's because He's scared, like the boy on the second world, the one with white hair, Why cant I remember his name? Anyways that boy learned how to be brave, and I helped train him. Do I wanna train Toby? This world is new to the apocalypse, I can tell by the people. This is still the first generation. Toby is old enough to remember the world before this, but young enough to adapt to whatever comes after. That sounds like a good reason! 

_Alma should I train toby?_

**_Personality matrix disabled._ **

"Go with your gut." I whisper to myself. 

"Wh-what?" The boy whimpers out, obviously confused and still borderline hysterical. I place my hand on his head, playing with his hair gently, he jumps for a second before relaxing into it. 

I switch my voice back into a soothing one. "Cmon, That mans leg is broken and I could use some help, I won't hurt you." I hold my pinky up with my free hand "promise." 

He sighs and closes his eyes tightly for a second. "Okay, I'll help." He answers but doesn't pinky promise, instead pushing my hand off his head timidly. 

Baby steps I guess. 

I swing the rifle off of my back and press the butt against my shoulder, walking out of the forest and scanning for hostiles, Toby close behind me, shakily walking. 

We make our way towards the trapped man, he was frantically trying to push the dead horse off of him to no avail. His eyes went wide when he spotted us, he looks over at the old mans rifle, as if contemplating grabbing it. 

"You could shoot me but it's probably not gonna do as much as you think it will." I giggle out and swing the rifle onto my back. 

He relaxed for a second, and then he spotted Toby close behind me. He screamed "Hey! No, fuck you!" and grabbed for the gun. I jumped over the horse and picked the gun up before He could grab it. He pointed his finger at Toby and cursed at him "You fucking sick fucks! You stay away!" 

"Relax" I interject placing my hand on the back of his neck. He mutters to himself but rapidly calms down. "You want us to lift this horse off ya, don't you?" I ask in a joking tone and the man nods slowly, lowering his finger from Toby. Im not sure what my 'calming touch' feels like but it must be some powerful shit. I honestly don't know how it works besides me having to make skin contact. I assume its a toxin excreted through my skin, like a poison dart frog. I wonder if they have frogs here? 

"Ok Toby I'll lift the horse, you drag him out." I say while getting into a squat position, grabbing under the horse and digging my fingers into it."Three....two....one" I groan and lift the top half of the horse. Toby pulls the man out and the man screams, his leg Is definitely broken. Im not exactly good at medical work either, the whole regeneration thing kinda takes out the need to learn first aid. 

Toby notices the mans twisted leg. "Shouldn't we se-" he's interrupted by gunfire, closer this time. His breath got caught in his throat as his eyes go wide. 

He's afraid? 

"We need to go, put him on your shoulders." I command. 

Tobys eyes widen "M-me? I can't carry him! You do it, you're stronger!" He whisper screams, as the gunshots get closer. 

_Whats coming?_

I don't have time to argue with him, we need to move. The man groans in pain as I pull him over my shoulders in a firemen's carry. I hand him my rifle so he can at least shoot if need be. I doubt Toby is going to be any good in a fight. 

I turn to toby as he picks up the old mans rifle, cocking it to make sure a round is chambered and picking the ammo out of the mans pockets and pouches. "Any Idea were to go?" I ask and he looks up at me, fear still evident in his eyes. 

"Um well ah-I think there's some ca-cabins in that direction" he says, pointing west. 

Well I guess we're going that way, towards the fucking gunfire. Why not right?

"Toby, grab my bear."


	3. Cabin

Toby was right! There are cabins here. And we managed to find them without running into any trouble! Excluding the occasional corpse the happened to be stumbling by. 

"Kyahh!" I scream and jump into a spinning crescent kick, my metal foot colliding with the side of the corpses head, sending it to the ground. I swing my rifle off my back and smash the butt into the corpses skull, splattering it. 

"Are the sound affects really necessary?" Toby asks, out of breath from carrying the larger

Man for the last twenty minutes. We switched off when the corpses started appearing more frequently. 

"It's for intimidation!" I answer through a smirk, proud of my martial arts mastery. 

"It's kinda silly." The injured man says, watching me from Tobys shoulder. 

"Silly is good too."

"Not when you're trying to be scary." Toby jabs while rolling his eyes.

I roll my eyes back at him. "Whatever, where are we going?" 

Toby makes a humming sound while looking at the cabins. 

"That one looks good, can you check it out?" 

"The black one? Sure, be right back." Hopefully the door is unlocked. I swing the gun off of my back and press it against my shoulder, jogging forward towards the black cabin. I point the gun at the door and reach for the handle, jiggling it. Its unlocked! what luck! I push the door open and make my way into the cabin. 

"Hello? Anyone home?" 

I wait for a couple seconds, listening for any movement before clearing the rest of the cabin. It was a pretty nice house, except for the overturned table in the kitchen and broken plates. The cabinets were void of food or water, same with the fridge. There was a bag of water in the freezer, not sure if It's good to drink, but hey beggars can't be choosers. 

There were two bedrooms and one bathroom, The master bedroom had a framed photograph of a male and female couple with a small dog, the breed of which I haven't seen before. 

"It's a pug" Toby answers after I ask him about it. "You've never seen a pug before?" 

"No, never even heard of them till now." I say while checking on the hurt man, who was fast asleep in the spare bedroom, he wrapped a towel around his broken leg after he had 'set' the bone. I've see broken bones before, however I never actually seen someone set it themselves before. One time there was a woman who had been tourtured, her legs beaten to hell with a hammer. One of my allies was tasked with setting the bone. The woman screamed, before passing out from the pain, however she survived after we got her to a secure location. She was lucky, on that world a broken limb was usually certain death, the only reason she survived was because a group of people were willing to take her in, after tasking me with a couple of favors of course. 

Toby makes a weird noise and raises a eyebrow at me."How have you never heard of pugs before? You know what dogs are right? Or do they not have dogs in.... Africa? Mexico?" 

"I don't know what you're asking me?" I reply 

He makes a 'tch' noise before talking "where are you from? I cant place that accent." 

"Afrika, not your Afrika, one from a couple worlds ago." I reply, twiddling my thumbs and taking a seat next to Toby on the bed. 

"A couple what ago?" He asks for clarification. 

"Worlds" I repeat and he chuckles in response, making me tilt my head at him in confusion "what?" 

"I don't think that word means what you think it means" 

I take a moment to think to myself, he's right in a way I guess. 

"You're right, I think dimensions is a better word." 

He rolls his eyes "No, I don't think thats what you mean either." 

"No, I think thats the right word, its the same planet, just a different version of it." I reply, laying down and arching my back, getting it to crack a little. 

Toby groans to himself. "Whats with the body suit?" 

"Its a tactical biometalic mesh body suit, or at least thats what Alma calls it." 

He glances over his shoulder at me. "Who's Alma?" 

"The Lady who lives in my head." 

He shakes his head in confusion "You.....think in a girls voice?" 

"No I think in my own voice, Alma just interjects and helps me with my forms, provides information, that sort of stuff." 

"Forms?" 

"My combat skin and my leviathan form" I place my hand one my chest "I haven't really thought of a name for this form, so I just call it my flesh skin." 

"I... Im so confused." Toby stutters out "Do you have like, multiple personalities or something?" 

He thinks I'm crazy. I grit my teeth, angry at his reluctance to accept the truth. "No, Im just not human, you really didn't notice the regeneration?"

"What regeneration?" He asks, not noticing my slight change of tone. 

"Ok how about the glowing eyes?" 

"Your eyes aren't glowing."

"What!?" I yell silently and jerk my body up, startling Toby by my sudden movement. I move in front of him and grip both his shoulders, forcing him to look me in the eyes. "Look again!" 

He rolls his eyes in annoyance, but looks closely at my eyes. "They're super blue, but not really glowing." 

I let him go and make my way to the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror. He's right, they aren't glowing like they usually do, but they still have there normal bright cyan color, usually they pulse but right now they're like a humans. Almost anyways.

"I must be hungry" I whisper to myself and leave the bathroom, going back to the bedroom. Tobys laying on the bed now so I lay next to him. "I haven't eaten since I got here." I tell him as I lay next to him. 

"When did you get here?" 

"Eight days, seventeen hours, twenty seven minutes ago. My eyes will glow once I get some food in me, sunlight only does so much ya know?"

"No" Toby says, glancing at me. "No I don't know, I don't eat sunlight."

Oh yeah, humans cant do that.

"I use photosynthesis, kinda like a plant." 

"Bullshit." Toby exclaims in a annoyed tone, catching me off guard. "Are you like, fucking with me on purpose or are you retarded?" 

"You still have your knife?" I ask as a idea pops into my idea. 

"No, you kicked it into the forest, remember?" He reply's bitterly. 

I groan, annoyed with his annoying attitude. 

"Well do you remember feeling calmer whenever I touched you? I call that my 'calming touch'!" 

"First of all no, I don't remember that, second of all thats a dumb fucking name." He says bitterly. 

I consider touching his forehead again to calm him, but I remember it only works with hysteria, annoyance doesn't really count, plus it takes energy and I cant afford to waste any. Its dark outside so I need to conserve all the energy I have until the sun comes up. Hmmmm I wonder. 

"What's your sexuality?" I ask, a smirk growing on my face 😏. 

He eyes me suspiciously "Im straight, don't get any ideas." 

I roll my eyes, well that idea is out the window. I COULD use my 'recruitment touch' on him to make him more.... interested, but that takes energy too. 

"When I have sex with people my eyes glow and like, our eyes switch color." 

"I don't know what you mean." 

"Im saying, if we did, I would have brown spots in my retinas and your eyes would glow blue. 

"Sounds gay as fuck, not interested." 

He doesn't have to be so mean about it. "Whatever, your loss." I say rolling over so my back is facing him. 

He takes a deep breath before talking. "Sorry.....I know I'm being a dick, it's been a stressful day, and I'm starving." 

I let out a loud sigh, drumming my hands on my knees as I think.

"We need to find food. Any Ideas?" 

"There's plenty of cabins around, we could scout them in the morning." 

"I can see at night" I say sitting up and crossing my legs "I have night vision." He looks over at me and opens his mouth but stops to think. "It'll be fine" I say getting up from the bed and grabbing the rifle that's leaning on the wall, swinging it onto my back. "I'll be quick." 

——————————————

"Jackpot!" I whisper, finding a pile of canned ravioli in the kitchen cabinet of my eighth cabin. I've been out here for thirty minutes, fighting corpses and clearing houses. I've found four large cans of ravioli, two jars of peanut butter, two bottles of water, and a single five gallon water jug. Needless to say I'm pretty fucking happy. Now my only problem is getting all this back to our cabin. 

That hurt man had a backpack with him, I could get that and come back. Or I could get Toby and he can help me carry this stuff. " _Or I could man the fuck up and carry everything in one go."_ I whisper to myself. 

I stuff the water bottles into the pouches on the legs of my suit and scoop the peanut butter and ravioli up with my left arm, pressing them against my chest, using my chin to hold them in place. Luckily the jug of water has a handle built into it, so I just grab that with my free hand and march out of the cabin feeling proud. 

I use my foot to lightly knock on the door to our cabin. I yell "Toby! Open the fuck up" and wait for him, after a couple seconds I hear footsteps approaching from the other side of the door. 

Toby opens the door slightly, peaking his head out "Did you fi-oh, nice!" His eyes widen and I smile triumphantly as he holds the door open for me. Oh look at that, Toby managed to get a fire going, well done Toby!

"What did you find?" He asks, shutting the door and following me to the kitchen.

"Water, ravioli and peanut butter." I answer, laying the cans on the kitchen counter. "A strange combination, but a treat nonetheless." I emphasize the word 'treat', my thoughts of eating that corpse continue to haunt me, causing an internal shutter. 

"Did you happen to find a can opener?" Toby interrupts my thoughts while searching the drawers in the kitchen. "I found a knife that could work if you didn't." 

"Lets just use the knife." I answer, dancing out of the way so he could open a can of ravioli. "Do you think we should wake that guy up?" He asks while jimmying the first can open. 

"Nah, we can just give it to him when he wakes up." I suggest and take a sip of water from the built in straw on my suit, tucking it back into my collar when Im done. "He needs to rest." 

"WE need to rest, we carried him." Toby exclaimed, finally getting the can open. "Do we cook this or just eat it cold?" 

"Eat it cold I guess, unless you have anything to hold it over the fire with." 

"We'll eat it cold." He answer cheerfully, handing me a can of ravioli. "I used to love these when I was younger, never had them cold before." 

"I've never had ravioli before, what is it?" I ask, looking into the can and seeing marinara sauce. 

"Im not actually sure, I've never made it. But I know it has meat in it." Toby reply's scooping out individual raviolis with his hand and popping them into his mouth while moving to take a seat on the couch by the lit fireplace. I take a seat next to him and begin eating my ravioli. 

_Hmmmm.....delicious!_

I lick my fingers and say "I wonder if this will be enough to get my eyes to glow." Grabbing Tobys attention. 

"Are you serious? Your eyes glow?" He asks, dividing his attention between me and his food. I nod and scarf down the rest of my ravioli, pouring the sauce down my throat. Well?" Toby says while savoring his ravioli. "They're not glowing." 

I turn my body to face him, using the arm rest of the sofa as back support "Give it a minute." 

He turns his body to face me, staring at me intently while savoring his ravioli. After a minute his eyes widen and I feel a small jolt of energy course through my body. 

_Bingo!_

"Ha-how?" Toby stutters, suddenly uninterested in his food, he leans closer and I can see the cyan glow of my eyes reflecting off his hazel ones. "Why do they do that?" He asks, not taking his eyes off mine. 

"I actually have no idea, but I know it varies on my mood." 

"What do you mean?" He asks, relaxing back into the couch and finishing off his ravioli, but still keeping a eye on me. 

"Well, In the past people point out that my eyes flare when I get excited and dull when I get tired or depressed." 

Toby places his can down on the table in front of us and brings his knees up to his chest "Do they usually glow? Why weren't they glowing earlier?" 

"I haven't eaten for more then a week, I went into energy saving mode I guess." 

This has only happened a couple times before, after being exhausted by my leviathan form. The intense fighting drained me immensely, causing me to pass out, brought back by sunlight and the quick thinking of a certain white haired friend. 

"So... so what are you?" He asks. Suddenly Im the most interesting thing in the world to him. 

"Depends on who you ask, Some have called me a savior and some have called me a demon, I've been referred to as both God and Satan. All I know is Im not human." I say. Is that too cryptic? I think that might be a bit too cryptic, but fuck it, I don't know what else to say.

"Earlier you said something about being on different earths, what did that mean?" 

"I've been on two other versions of this planet." I reply nonchalantly as If its a common thing. 

"Why... why are you here?" He asks with a small hint of fear in his tone, as if afraid of the answer.

"Well, the first two planets have had some sort of test I had to do, I have no reason to think this planet is anything but the same." 

"Tests?" He repeats and I nod. "Can you elaborate?" 

"Well, the first planet I consumed the combat suit, had to prove myself as a fighter, ya know?" I say with a giggle. "The second planet involved a bit more shapeshifting." 

"Like a werewolf or...." 

"There were these giants with blades and claws and shit like that, so I consumed them, It gave me their weapons ya know? And of course I learned about my leviathan form." 

"Leviathan form?" He says perking up, slightly. This boy asks a lot of questions doesn't he. Well I have questions too!

"Uh-uh" I say with a teasing tone and a smirk "If we're gonna play twenty questions I get to ask too." 

He exhales sharply and his excited exterior falters. "Fine, ask away." 

Hmmmmmmmmmm

"Who were your friends in the forest?" I lean forward, watching his mannerisms closely. 

"They weren't my friends, they're were a group of bastards I was forced to live with." He says, looking away from me at a upwards angle, pretending to be fixated by something on the ceiling.

"Who forced you?" 

He crosses his arms and breaks eye contact for the first time since I started glowing "The world."

"Meaning...." 

"Meaning I got to eat every-once in a while." He replies through clenched teeth. "My turn, what's leviathan?" 

I guess I'll have to learn slowly 

"I've never actually seen it, but Alma says its 'a divine creature of unfathomable power'. I had some friends who said it was a giant black bi-pedal lizard with jagged spikes and a thick, rough hide tougher then any armor." 

"That.......... actually sounds terrifying." He says raising a eyebrow. "So you can turn into.... like Godzilla? How big are we talking?" 

I giggle lightly "nope, It's my turn." I earn a pained groan from Toby. "Do you hate me? For killing those men in the forest?" 

"No, they.." his voice cracks, he shuts his eyes tightly but continues talking. "They were bad...bad men, they did horrible things." 

"What did they do?" I ask, my curiosity sparked by his sudden distressed attitude. Toby curls up and doesn't answer. 

Hmm I guess he did technically answer. 

"Three hundred eighteen meters." 

Toby perks up with a confused expression "huh?" 

"Thats how tall leviathan is, One thousand forty two feet. At least thats what I was told." 

His eyes widen slightly, he opened his mouth but all he could manage to say was "whoah" I guess thats a appropriate reaction. 

"Can you transform at will?" 

"I used too" I reply bitterly, annoyed by the limitations this world requires... so far at least. "This is the only form I have access to on this planet, so far at least." 

"Well what can you do?" His child like curiosity radiating from him once again.

"Do you mean like, in general or unique to me?" 

"What do you think I mean?" He replys sarcastically, but with a friendly tone. 

"Well so far I've been able to.... can you see in the dark? I met some people who could do that." 

He shakes his head and then re gains eye contact with me. 

"I can, I can also change to thermal visions, I can regenerate, I used to be able to use a thunderclap and fire lighting from the shield that surrounds me, but I can't right now...." 

"You have regeneration?" He repeats and I nod.

"But that takes energy, I also have my calming touch, I think I have my 'recruitment touch' but I haven't really gotten to try that yet." 

He waves his hands, asking me to slow down "Wait! What do you mean? What do those do?" 

"Well calming touch....... calms you. I did that to you in the forest. How does that feel by the way? I've been curious about it." 

"It's like, how do I explain this, I felt tired, not necessarily calmer just less hysterical. Like when you cry yourself out?" He struggles to think of the proper wording. "I don't really feel better, but I can think clearer." 

So thats what it does, maybe I should change it from calming to sedative. 

"What does recruitment touch do?" 

"It puts people into a heat state." 

"So..... you can make people horny? Whats the point in that?" He asks, a hint of skepticism in his voice. 

"It's not like I just do it for the fun of it, It creates a psychic bond, at least thats how I understand it." 

"A psychic bond? What do you mean like you can.. what read minds?" 

I chuckle at his assumption 

"Hehe no, It offers suggestions I guess, the person will do something that will benefit me in some way, subconsciously of course. Like they have a urge to help me, whether they realize it or not." 

Toby gets lost in thought for a second. "So.... you fuck them and then they help you?" 

"I guess." 

"Does it only work on some people? Like is there a type of person or something?" 

Hmmmm good question 

"It works on people I choose I guess."

"How do you choose?"

"I......I guess I just kinda go with my gut." 

"So like do you just touch them or do you like.." he interruptes himself with a giggle and a slight embarrassed blush. "Hehe sorry, It's weird talking about this stuff." 

What is it about sex that freaks humans out? They can talk about death and destruction all day long but clam up when sex is mentioned. "Hehe sorry, so you just touch them or do you have to like, actually have sex with them?" He asks, getting his giggles under control. 

I raise a curious eyebrow "You know I could show you right?" 

His eyes widen for a second and he gets shy "ohhh I um I don't know, Im not into guys." 

"I'll just touch your forehead and you tell me how you feel ok?" 

He thinks for a second, then shrugs and nods 

**Recruitment mode activated**

I lean forward and gently press my hand against his forehead, he inhales sharply and his body tenses. 

"Well, how do you feel?" 

He squirms a little, adjusting his pants "Horny.... really horny." 

I relinquish my contact with his forehead and lean back on my side of the couch, watching his eyes run over me. He clears his throat before speaking. "Do you ummm want to go to the bedroom?" 

He hasn't really shown me anything I would usually take interest it, but heh could be fun. 

"Sure" 

He smiles and gets up, taking me lightly by the hand and leading me to the bedroom, using a flashlight to illuminate the way. He pulls me into the room and closes the door behind us before grabbing my hips pressing himself against me briefly before stepping back. "Oh that suit looks a lot softer then it is." 

I chuckle and push him back lightly, pressing the hidden button that decompresses the tope half of my suit, letting it fall to my hips. Toby uses the flash light to scan my body, his eyes looking me over hungrily. 

"You know, the more skin contact the stronger the bond." I tease. 

He places the flashlight face up on the counter, its light reflecting off the ceiling, casting a dim light around the room, allowing toby to see.I on the other hand can see in pure darkness just as well as in clear daylight. 

Toby rips his jacket and shirt off,exposing his thin, pale frame. His hip bones prominent from the complete lack of fat he cant weigh anymore then 110 pounds. He pauses and scans the room "Where'd you go?" He asks in a whispered tone. 

"Right here." 

"Oh...I can't see you."

"Not in the dark, no." 

I don't know why, or how, but when it's dark Im pretty much invisible. I assume it has something to do with the magnetic shield surrounding my body, but your guess is as good as mine.

Toby starts unbuttoning his black pants but stops. "Wait I don't have lube or anything." 

"Dont worry about it." 

Toby looks at me skeptically, but works his pants off anyways, leaving him in boxers, a good sized tent poking out. 

He moves to sit on the bed and I follow him sitting next to him, allowing him to run his hands across my strong stomach and chest. He pulls on the bottom half of my suit. I push him back and crawl ontop of him, letting him push my suit down past my butt before I pull it off completely, kicking it onto the ground. 

I place my hands on either side of his head and hover above him, going slow for his sake.

He grabs my ass and pushes his hips up, our crotches colliding trough his thin boxers. 

He moans at the unexpected pleasure that shot through him, letting his hips fall back the the bed, Leaving me hovering above him, his hands still gripping my butt. 

"Agh why did that feel so good?" He asks surprised by the intense pleasure. 

"I don't actually know, just something unique to me." 

He lets go of my ass and desperately tears his boxers off, throwing them across the room, leaving us both completely nude on top the blankets of the bed. He exhales sharply and looks me in the eyes, letting his hands run down my shoulders and back, tracing my muscles before resting them on my butt once again. I lower my body down slowly, a sharp moan coming from him again once our members collide. 

"Oh ahhhh fuck! Why does it feel like that?" He asks again.

I slowly begin grinding our bodies together, his legs wrapping around mine tightly and his grip on my ass tightens. His moans increased in volume, almost dangerously. 

There's still corpses outside. 

I lift my body off him again and look down at him, a almost offended look across his face.

"We can take it slow but you have to be quieter. Or we can go hard and fast and finish in say... three minutes?" 

His eyes widen "Hard please!" He moans desperately, his hands moving around my butt. I lower myself again and start humping his member against mine, harder this time. He moans loudly, rocking his hips up against me violently. I wrap my arms tightly around the back of his neck, using my elbows on his shoulders to pull him down as my hips push him up. He uses his hands on my butt to pull my hips harder against him as he grinds erratically underneath Me, his moans spilling out loudly as the bed rocks repeatedly into the wall. 

I reach down with both hands and grab his ass, pulling him up into me, enjoying the feeling of it tensing up everytime he drove his hips up into mine. A dim light begins to flicker in his eyes, quickly turning into a bright cyan blue that lites up the room. 

"Aghhh!" His screams echo against the walls of the room. 

I wrap one arm around the back of his neck and Keep the other on his ass, I start groaning when I stop holding back, colliding against his body as hard and fast as I could, I see the reflexion of my glowing eyes on the bedspread beneath us. 

"Ohh Im close! Fuck, aghhh!" He moans and I push my hips against him and hold it, pulling on his ass, bringing his hips up into me harder as he pushes back, his butt tensing in my hand. 

"Ohhhh god!" He moans again and his legs begin to shake, still wrapped around mine, his toes brushing against my foot as they curl sharply. 

"Ohhh" I moan and let loose again, humping him as hard and fast as possible, feeling him go feral and grip my ass as tightly as his hands allow. 

"Ohhh, fuck!" He screams humping me as hard as his skinny body will allow. His chest and stomach muscles tightening and I know he'll be sore tomorrow. 

He lets out a final scream as his orgasm wracks his body, making his glowing eyes roll and his body jerk erratically, I keep going as hard as I can as my own orgasm hits me, my eyes flashing a bright blue, as the once dimly lit room turns bright as day. Our orgasms lasting a full minute, finally dulling out as we continue to hump each other slowly, waiting for the intense pleasure to finally come to a end, our sweaty bodies pressed tightly against each other. 

"That... was amazing." He groans, still not completely finished as he continues to empty himself between our bodies. After he's empty I roll off him, allowing him to catch his breath. "Why is your right leg so hard?" He asks, and I lift my leg in the air. "A prosthetic?" He asks and I nod, rolling the metal ankle joint. 

He starts giggling uncontrollably, his hands on his mouth."Hehe I just realized something." He whispers through breaths, looking over at me, his eyes glowing a bright blue. "I never asked your name."

I never told him my name? 

"Dindu." 

"Hi, Dindu." He giggles.


	4. Locust

"We're sorry." Toby and I apologize in unison, Looking down on the angry man on the bed.

"You guy's literally met yesterday!" The man scolds, switching glares between me and Toby. "Did you have to be so fucking loud!?" He asks, while eyeing Toby specifically. 

Toby blushes and looks away, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "It's not my fault, he has superpowers." 

"Magic dick!" I giggle, bumping my shoulder against Tobys. Im awarded with a giggle from the embarrassed boy.

The man rolls his eyes "Whatever, what else happened yesterday?"

"I found ravioli, peanut butter, and water, a lot of water actually." I say, proudly. Crossing my arms and waiting for praises. 

"Anything else?" He asks, uninterested in my accomplishments. 

_Ayyyyy fuck you._

"Nope." I answer, slightly annoyed. My voice with a heavy, bitterness.

"Sooooo what do we do today?" Toby asks, changing the subject after noticing my sudden mood swing. 

"I need to get back home, Thats what were doing today." 

"Great!" I say perking up a bit, swinging my hips side to side. "We're are we heading?" 

"It's called the Kingdom." The man says, taking a sip of water from the bottle resting on the nightstand. Toby had placed It there for him last night after he woke up because of the screaming, he was too tired to scold us at the time, choosing instead to wait until morning. 

"Ok lets go!" Toby exclaims, visibly excited. Or is he nervous? Does he always dart his eyes around like that? He was pretty reluctant to talk about his group last night, saying they were bad news. 

_Hmmmm maybe Im over thinking it. Alma, any Ideas?_

**_Personality matrix disabled._ **

Well that's still broken.

"Guys!" Toby whisper yells, peaking out the window in the living room. I look at him in a confused manner. I open my mouth but Toby puts his finger to his lips, asking me to be quiet. 

"Th-they here, they're here." He stutters, panic spreading throughout his body, he starts trembling. 

**_Sedative activated_ **

I burst forward, placing my hand on his head, using my other hand to push him down. I peak out the window. Twenty two contacts! Each with some variety of weaponry. 

Wait,whats that?

"Who are those people that are roped together?" I whisper.

"They us-use them, fi-fi-find out where t-t-they live. H-hurt them so they're barely alive." Toby shutters out a shaky breath, closing his eyes tightly in a attempt to calm himself. "They pretend to save people, gain a gr-groups trust. But! But they map interour, exits, guard positions, weaponry. Then we-t-they infiltrate, kill everyone and use up all their re-resources, then they move on to d-d-do it again, like locusts." He's crying now, not uncontrollably, but he's crying. 

"They'll hu-hurt us!" He whimpers. 

Hmmmmmmmm, some of those people in binds have the same armor as the hurt man. They must be from the Kingdom. 

Hmmm.... Kingdom..

"The kingdom, that's their target." I whisper, Toby looks at me confused. Think Dindu, whats the best move here? It's not just me anymore, cant just go out guns blazing...... unless. 

"Toby, I need You to do something." I say pulling him up and crouch walking to the hurt mans bed. If this works it works! If they die.... I'll go to the Kingdom anyways.

"What's going on?" The man whispers, noticing Tobys distressed appearance. 

"How far is the kingdom from here?" I ask, not bothering to answer him. 

"About three miles, why?" 

"Tobys gonna carry you there." 

Tobys eyes widen "wh-what? I cant do that!" He chokes out, beginning to panic. 

_I don't have time for this!_

I slap him flush across the face, he stumbles backwards, placing his hand on his afflicted cheek, red eyes wide in surprise. "I'll draw their attention, when I do, you escape." I place my hand on his head again, as if to let him know I wasn't angry at him. "I'll meet you at the kingdom, ok?" 

He sniffles, but responds "o-ok." I smile and ruffle his hair gently. 

The hurt man groans at me before talking. "How do you expect to esc-aghhh!" He screams as I pick him up and carry him towards the back window. He uses his own hands to muffle his voice. Toby opens the window and climbs through, I then help the hurt man through the window and Toby sets him on his shoulders as he had the day before. 

I need to learn that guys name later. 

I grab both assault rifles stuffing my suits ammo pouches with the magazines before climbing out the window and handing the hurt man a rifle so he can shoot if it comes down to that. I stuff a extra magazine into Tobys back pocket, leaving me with two full magazines and the partially spent one already in the rifle. 

"Wait for me to attract their attention" I command and toby nods, seemingly focused. 

That-a boy Toby! 

I move away from them, using the cabins, bushes, and vehicles to mask my movements. I peak out to look at the group, ten members outside, using blades to kill the corpses that stumble upon them. The rest of them move into a cabin, probably scouting for resources as they go. I sprint across from the group, still undetected. 

This should do It. I swing the rifle onto my back and change my voice into a child's. "Ahhhhh!" I scream at the top of my lungs "Help! Where are you Mommy!?" 

That did it! Two members split off from the group heading to my location. "Hello, little boy? Did you lose your mommy?" A man asks, not yet seeing me, a woman with a shotgun follows him closely while chuckling at his mocking tone. 

Y'all bitches ain't gonna be laughing in a second.

"Help me mister! Im stuck under this car!" I whimper out, still using a childish voice. 

"Aww well don't worry little..." he freezes when he turns the corner, seeing me smile up at him. I feel my eyes flicker in excitement. 

"Boy." I growl out, finishing his sentence for him. That face, that look of surprise mixed with fear. Thats the look of someone who just realized they're fucked. 

He lunges forward, a blade in his hand. I grab his wrist with one hand and jam my thumb into his eye with the other, the man screams as I pull him forward, sinking my teeth into his throat and ripping it out. 

"Whoah! Joseph!" The woman shrieks in surprise as I swallow the mans flesh. I take the mans knife and slice her wrist, making her drop her shotgun before stabbing her in the chest repeatedly. 

The rest of the outside group notices the chaos, turning there attention towards me. I grab the woman's shotgun and sprint behind a cabin as the group opens fire at me, narrowly missing. I push the shotgun around the corner and fire a shot, a man screams in pain. Hopefully thats not one of the prisoners. Probably shouldn't risk that again. 

I sprint to the other side of the cabin and turn the corner, weapon raised. I fire at the woman rounding the corner, blood and bone exploding from her head. Two men are close behind her, I shoot the first one in the chest, but the second one side steps, narrowly avoiding the buckshot from my weapon. He raises his pistol to my head but I roll forward and turn, shooting him in the chest before he could get a shot off. 

"So long, soy boy!" I laughed, dropping the empty shotgun and grabbing his pistol, stuffing it into my suits holster. I swing the rifle off my back and peek around the corner, spotting a group of hostiles coming out of the cabin. I take aim and shoot off a volley of fire, killing most of them instantly, others were wounded and fell to the ground, screaming in pain as they rapidly bleed out. 

I feel multiple impacts hit me in the back, knocking me on my stomach, I turn over a empty my clip into the four men who had fired upon me, killing them all. 

**_Critical damage sustained!_ **

Fuck! My leg is broken! The real one! Fuck those guys!

I drop the empty rifle and run on my hands and legs like a three legged dog as the rest of the group fires on me, bullets smashing into the armored plates of my suit, and I know its too much for it to sustain. Usually the suit would repair itself. But I don't have the energy to spare.

Fuck, gonna have to repair that. 

I draw my pistol and peek the corner, screaming ferociously. 

"Enjoy this lead you nut suckers!" 

Seven shots, seven kills. I've always been pretty good with pistols.... well not really, that was luck but hey! Imma celebrate anyways.

"Fuck Im good that this!" I scream while dancing around on my now healed leg! Thank fuck I ate that ravioli with a side helping of Toby last night! The chained up people were sprawled out on the ground, watching me in amazement, probably haven't seen a guy regenerate limbs before. I should introduce myself. 

"Yo..." I say skipping towards the group. They slowly start getting up, unsure of my intentions. Understandable. Did just eat a guys throat after all. 

"Im here to help you!" I say grabbing a knife off one of the dead combatants and cutting the rope they had tied around their waists and wrists, saying hello to everyone as I go along, six in total. "So, the Kingdom am I right?" Im not actually sure what to do, no one has said anything.Can they understand me? My translator is working right?

"How do you know about the Kingdom?" A blond woman asks, she had the same armor on as the man Toby and I had helped. 

Damn, I never learned his name.

"My sex slave is on his way there with one of your guys, he's about thirty something, brown eyes, greying hair, no fun." 

"Anthony? He got separated from the rest of us" a chubby man said, recognizing my description of the man. "What happened to him?" 

"Oh he's fine, he broke his leg is all. My guy is carrying him. They should be heading towards your place." I answer happily.Hopefully Toby and the old dude didn't get eaten already. 

"Really? Well thats great!" The man says walking up to me and extending his hand. "Im Julian." 

"Dindu." I reply, giving the man a firm handshake.

_Im making connections Alma!_

**_Personality matrix disabled._ **

"That's Camren" he says, gesturing to the women who spoke earlier. "Marcus" a man about a inch taller then I am, he had a scar on his left cheek and his left hand was missing. "Gillette" Another man about five foot seven, same height as me, he gave me a friendly wave when his name was called, earning a nod from me. "Jasmin" A Latina, a strong looking woman with short black hair, she didn't have the same armor on as the others. "She's from the Hilltop." Julian informs me. "And finally Avery." A large black man, buzzed cut hair and military dog tags hanging from around his neck. 

"Hello everyone!" I giggle, waving happily, not really sure what else to do. "So, should we get going?" 

"Not yet." Avery says, stepping forward. "We should collect these weapons."

"Agreed." Cameron chimes in from the background.They're probably right.

"Okie dokie!" 

——————————————

"Dog!" I scream pointing to the black Canine in the woods after hearing rustling in the bushes. I move toward the dog, its tail wagging lightly. 

"Wait." Avery commands and grabs me by the wrist, firmly. "It could be dangerous." 

"Its a dog" I jerk my wrist out of his grip "I think I can handle it." I slowly make my way towards the dog, careful not to scare it. I reach my hand out when Im close enough, letting it smell me. "Hey boy, what are.." 

His eyes.

"Why are your eyes like mine?" I ask the dog who just rubs his head against my hand in response. 

_Alma! Is this my dog?_

A cheerful ringing sound goes off in my head before she speaks for the first time since I got here. 

**_Congratulations, you've found the dog! He'll wander about, but make no mistake he'll alway be close by. Name him what ever you like, cheers and good luck!_ **

_Alma!_

**_End of message._ **

"Of course." I chuckle and scratch the dog behind the ear. "You wanna come with me boy?" I ask the dog, earning a happy yip. 

He responded? He must be able to understand me. 

I turn to the group of onlookers close behind me. "This is my dog and I'm keeping him." 

"Absolutely not!" Avery says, matter of factly. 

"I wasn't really asking." 

"Neither was I!" The man yells, taking a step towards me. "It could have diseases! There was a plague recently, we cant risk it!"

I feel my eyes flare as I struggle to contain my anger. "It's important that he comes with me." I rub my head, attempting to resist murdering this group. 

"This isn't up for debate." He says taking another step forward. "I don't want to hurt him, but I will if you make me." 

I feel the shift take place, the change in attitude between my normal, happy self and the animalistic rage that I keep caged. 

"God damnit Avery, I will jerk your dick raw if you touch him!" I say taking a step forward, ready to smack a bitch. Things are about to get ugly before Julian steps between us, a nervous smile on his face, calming me down somewhat. 

"Now now...." he says holding out his arms to keep us apart. "We can talk about this like civilized people." He turns to me, a curious look in his eye. "Why do you want this dog so bad?" 

I exhale, allowing some of the rage to die down. "He has something to do with... with whatever I'm supposed to be doing here." 

He raises a confused eyebrow "That means....what exactly?" 

"That dog is important." I answer, still barely containing my rage. "Probably a deciding factor for whatever happens to your planet." 

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Avery yells pushing Julian away from us. "You have a messiah complex or something? What could this dog poss-ohh"

I snap and punch him in the chin, toppling him over. "Don't question me! I just saved your asses didn't I!? You owe me!" I scream, my one voice changing into multiple, overlapping voices, and my eyes flair again. 

"Avery, its not worth it honey." Marcus speaks, placing his only hand on the kneeling mans shoulder. 

Avery glares up at me, but holds his tongue. "Whatever." He says, shrugging the mans hand off and marching off. 

Julian shoots me a apologetic look and places a hand on my new dog, scratching his head gently. "Im not sure what you are." He says, glancing at me and then back to the dog. "But I hope you understand, some of us have lost everything." 

"Not everything...." I mutter under my breath. "He still has his teeth."

—————————————— 

The March to the Kingdom was short, but incredibly Awkward. I caught Avery shooting me and my new companion glares every once in a while. I was planning on getting to know Avery, learn about this world and the military tactics that helped shape it, but fuck him, he can choke on dicks and die for all I care. Eventually we arrived, a large metal wall surrounding a town, sentry at the entrance.

"Open the gate!" The man on the tower orders. The gate swings open with a loud screech, and were greeted with a crowd, happy to see that their soldiers returned home. The group ran into the crowd, greeting family and friends alike. Except for Jasmin, who isn't from the kingdom. Instead, she choose to stand awkwardly next to me, arms folded. Curiousity got the better of me.

"So how did you end up getting captured with this lot?" I ask glancing at the surprisingly shy Latina to my left. 

"I was looking for my sister." She replied, obviously annoyed by my question. 

"Well, good luck." I say, walking off to explore the area, my four legged friend by my side. 

I observe children in a garden, singing songs and watering plants. They seem to have made a game out of it. I lived on a farm a long time ago, for a short time anyways. It wasn't really my thing, however I did enjoy caring for the animals. 

"There's a lot of people here, isn't there boy?" I observe, patting my dog on the head gently. "I wonder if you have any tricks up your sleeve."

"Dindu!" A happy voice yells from the crowd of onlookers, I didn't even notice I was getting so much attention. I notice one familiar figure that stood out to me

"Toby! Your ass didn't get eaten!" I yell back at the approaching boy, happy to see he managed to make it all this way. 

He comes up and gives me a playful high five, giggling as he did it. "This place is amazing! They even have showers here, and lots of food and beds." He informs me, cleaner then he had been when he left my care, wearing different clothes too. He had a red hoodie on when he left, now he was wearing a grey long sleeved shirt. He even got new running shoes, replacing his beat up pair. 

"These people seem to have treated you well." I point out noting his attire, and his overall cheerful tone. He turns to my new dog, then back to me, then back to the dog, then back to me. 

"Why does this dog have the same eyes as you?" He asks, a strange look on his face.

"I found him in the woods, apparently he's my dog." 

"You didn't.... you didn't fuck this dog, did you?" 

I laugh loudly, I honestly didn't expect that question. "Haha, no I most certainly did not!" I say through laughter. 

He lets his breath and laughs in relief "oh hehe just making sure, Im not sure what you aliens are into." 

What makes him think im a-

"Dindu!" Im pulled out of my thoughts by Julian calling me, motioning for me to follow him. 

Tobys eyes light up and he grabs me by the wrist, pulling me with him. "Cmon!" He says, dragging me. "You're gonna love this." 

Him and Julian walk me through the crowd, some of the people smile at me and pat me on the back, which if Im being honest kinda scares me. I don't like crowds. Too many people, too much noise to pick up on, even with my dulled senses I can hear more then average people. 

Julian opens a door for me as Toby continues to pull me through, we enter a large amphitheater, on the other side of it is a man on a throne, to his right are two people, a woman with a basket of fruit, and a man with a battle axe in his hands. On his left...

"Holy fucknuggets is that a tiger!?" I whisper, as if scared to spook the mighty cat. 

"I told you you'd love it." Toby smirks and I shoot him a grin. 

"Dindu!" The man on the thorn yells in a friendly tone. "Young Toby here has told me tales of your heroism and optimism, I thank you for saving him." The man bows forward in a sitting position. 

By 'optimism' he probably means 'dick'. But I'll leave it alone 

"Oh It was nothing." I chuckle giving a shy wave. "I had fun after all." 

The man on the throne chuckles at my response. "Hehe I think you will be well met here. The people of the Kingdom are In your debt, could I interest you in a apple?" The woman moves foward with the basket of fruit, holding it foward and bowing her head. "Toby here tells me that you have had little to eat this last week."

I pick a apple and take a bite. "Mhhh delicious." 

"I'm glad they are to your liking friend, but this does not begin to repay the debt we owe you, please allow me to introduce myself." The man stands from his throne and bows to me. "I am King Ezekiel, welcome to the Kingdom."

"Neat." I giggle, taking another bite of the apple. This place is fucking weird.......


	5. Fight or Flight

"Is it even a dog?" Toby asks, stretching on a mat as we get ready for today's exercise. 

"Alma says he's a dog, but he is a bit big ain't he?" I agree as we stare over at the large dog, as it plays tug of war with a couple of kids in the garden. It's not like I measured him or anything, but if I had to guess, I'd say he's about the same size as shiva, Maybe even a few inches taller. Eziekial wont let me set up a play date for them, so it's a strictly visual estimation. 

"He looks more like a wolf then a dog." Toby groans mid stretch. "Have you thought of a name for him yet? Its been what? A week or so?" 

"Nine days three hours eleven minutes." I roll my eyes "And no, I haven't." 

"Well shouldn't he have a name?" He chuckles out, switching legs.

"I don't know what to name him, Its difficult." I groan out. Toby has relentless pushed me into naming my dog, Its a bug responsibly and I don't wanna give him a dumb name. 

"Well he has fangs." Toby observes, moving into a seal stretch. "How about Dracula?" 

"For fucks sake Toby, he's not a vampire! He's a dog..... or a wolf. Aren't werewolves like the opposite of vampires or something? Hehe" I say with a chuckle. "And their called canines, every omnivore had them. Even you!" 

"I know that..." Toby says before he rolls his eyes. We've had this conversation before, and he has repeatedly asked me to name it some sort of mythology based name..... or krypto. 

"I mean you have superpowers and he's your dog. Krypto is perfect." 

"Nooooooooo." I groan loudly, some people look at me with concern, but keep walking. Toby laughs at the difficulty I'm having over such a minuscule task. My dog needs a cool name! I'm allowed to be stressed right? I need something robust and at the same time elegant with a touch of menacing...

I lead Toby through some stretches. I was raised by monks, and they had me stretch and exercise constantly, so I'm pretty good at it. But toby isn't very flexible yet.

"You know.... I went to the library yesterday." Toby says, relaxin on his stomach after his seal stretch. "I've been reading some books about vikings, There's some badass names you might like."

I perk up from my position, sitting cross legged. "Oh? Like what?" 

Toby copies mys stance and sits right across from me in the dirt, wiping his hands clean on his grey sweat pants. "Well, There's a wolf god named Fenrir, a giant wolf that killed the god Odin, and ate the sun and moon. I thought you might like that part." He says. I can feel him looking for a reaction on my face, trying to decipher my reaction. 

But the problem is, I do like the name. But I'm not willing to commit to it yet, Not until I know more. "Maybe." 

"That's better then no I guess." He giggles out. 

I've noticed that his overall mood had been much better then before we got here, I mean he still has nightmares on occasion, who wouldn't after what he went through. I mean... I don't have nightmares, or dreams actually. I kinda just fall asleep and then wake up, nothing in between, I don't even wake up in the middle of the night unless something wakes me. But I've always wondered what dreams were like.

But that's enough reminiscing on the floor for now, there's exercises to be done! "Ready?" I ask, getting up from the ground and kicking my feet above my head. Tucking the long sleeve shirt into my sweatpants. My body suit is being repaired, courtesy of the Kingdoms blacksmith, Kevin. Toby hesitates for a second before getting up, showing me he's ready. 

I chuckle at his hesitation. "Don't worry, it'll be a easy day." I say with a smirk

He rolls his eyes. "That's what you said yesterday, I bruise ya know? I don't regenerate." 

"I only hit you once! And I said I was sorry, you cant be afraid to get hit ya know?" I defend myself. "And for the record I get bruises too..." I whisper, but he didn't hear me.

"Yea yea yea I've heard it all before, its a little different in practice ya know?" Toby rolls his eyes, stretching his arms. 

"Ok ok, It'll be fun, maybe we can go out and shoot at corpses later, you seem to be enjoying that." I say as we begin jogging around the Kingdom. 

You know what's funny to me? Humans are the most advanced long distance runners on the planet, yet I've seen motherfuckers too lazy to walk twenty feet to get a glass of water, choosing dehydration over the very small exertion of force required to stand the fuck up. They should be able to simply out last their prey, running them to exhaustion. I want Toby to get up to that level, a formidable predator. And that starts with cardiovascular exercise. 

"Run bitch run!" I scream at him when he starts slowing down. "It's only been three miles!" 

——————————————

Toby pants loudly, leaning on a wall and trying not to vomit. We had had just finished the third face, the actual workout part. Now we're supposed to head into the martial arts section. AKA the part I beat him up.... just a little. 

"Is he ok?" A young man by the name of Benjamin asked. We met him shortly after we got here, he's pretty close to our age so naturally, we gravitated towards him. 

"He's fine, just being a baby." I chuckle and pat Toby on the back, turning back to ben. "How's the Akido going?" I ask, referencing his fondness for the stick oriented martial art. 

"Ehh ya know, slow and steady." He twills the staff around. Obviously proud of his new found passion, even his little brother, Henry, is getting into it. I for one think that it's fantastic to see kids take up martial arts, especially when it could save your life.

"You know you could train with us if you wanted to right? I'm not saying Morgans a bad teacher, It just helps to have differing perspectives. Plus....." i smirk and glance at Toby over my shoulder for a moment. "Im sure I could get you into pretty good shape." 

He chuckles lowly. "As much fun as you beating me up everyday sounds, I think I'll pass." He says with a sympathetic look towards Toby, who's still catching his breath. 

I look back at Toby and sigh, rolling my eyes. I know people think I'm hard on them sometimes, but if I'm not hard on them in training how are they going to survive a real life situation? But maybe I should let him rest, he's building his strength up after all. "Fine... we'll call it a day."

Big baby. 

I turn my attention back to Benjamin. "Are you going out again today, Benji?" I ask 

he nods. "Yep, scavenging for supply's again." He says. "No biggie, things have been good recently."

"Do you think we could come? Toby needs more practice." 

He looks away from me briefly. "I don't think so, Ezikial is pretty strict about who can go out, with that group you fought possibly being around and all." 

The locust as I've come to call them was apparently a pretty large sized group. I managed to kill a good amount of them, but failed to wipe them out, Ezikial fears retaliation if I or Toby are spotted interacting with Kingdom soldiers.

—————————————— 

"Alma said dog, not wolf." I argue, sitting next to toby on a bench and eating a veggie sandwich. Enjoying the crunch and freshness of it. 

"For the billionth time I know what she said, but look." He points at the picture and description on his book. "He matches the description for Dire wolves almost perfectly." 

I roll my eyes. "Why do you want him to be a wolf so bad?"

"Because wolves are fucking cool? And Dire wolves are supposed to be extinct? That means He's probably the only one of his kind." 

"If he's even a wolf at all. He could be like me."

"What do you mea-"

He was interrupted by the loud rattling of the gate. In walks a group of people I haven't seen before, they were led by Richard and that man who took jasmine back home some time ago. 

"Hmm, do we know them?" Toby asks, as curious as I am.

"I've literally been here as long as you." I retort, going back to my sandwich but keeping a eye on the group. Hmmm, judging by their shifty eyes and tense movements I'd say this is there first visit to the kingdom. Oh god damn it! 

"Fenrir! Come here!" I yell at the dog as he runs to greet the group. Toby's eyes widen when he realizes what I said. 

He turns to me with a smug smile. "I see you finally decided on a name."

I groan, realizing my mistake. "Yep, Wolf gods are cool." I quickly finish up by sandwich before standing up. "That little shit." 

My dog ignored me. And I hustled over their incase he decided to jump on someone or something like that. He does that on occasion.

"Wait! Don't go over there! You're gonna scare them away!" Toby whispers, but groans and follows me when he realizes I ignored him. 

The boy with the bandage around his eye seems to be surprised by Fenrir at first, but he bend down slightly to give the dog a firm petting, and Fenrir appears to appreciate it, yipping happily. 

"I know you heard me Fenrir." I scold, crossing my arms like a angry mother, giving him the evil eye. 

"Maybe he hasn't learned his name yet?" Toby suggests, walking up to the dog.... or wolf I guess, petting him on the back, not wanting to interrupt the one eyed boy. 

"Whats his name?" The boy asks, glancing up at Toby before turning his attention back to the Large wolf in front of him. 

Fenrir seems to like him. 

"His name is Fenrir.... like FEN-reer." Toby replies and carefully pronounces. Stepping back from the dog when Richard walks closer to him. 

"So.... who are you guys?" I ask the boy.

"Don't bother them, Dindu." Richard warns, ruining my fun. 

"Consume a cock, Rich." I reply, knowing how much he hates it when I call him Rich. I would call him Dick, but Richard means dick so It wouldn't be very offensive. 

He makes a annoyed groan, but doesn't say anything, choosing instead to lead the group away. He turns back to me, saying "stay"

And pointing at me. I flip him off when he turns away. 

"We'll we have to follow them now." I whisper to Toby, pulling him by the wrist. I notice something on that black chick's back, something I like.

Whoah, that lady has a katana! I haven't seen one of those since the first world. That guy, the only man who could keep up with me. What was his name again? He had one of those, and fuck he was good with it. 

"What?" The woman asks, turning around. Apparently I was staring and didn't realize she turned around. 

"Ehh sorry, your sword triggered some flashbacks I think." 

She gives me a strange look. "Okay." She says, and starts to turn her back on me.

"Can I see it?" 

Toby comes from behind and throws his arms around my shoulders. "Sorry about my retarded little friend. He's retarded and little." He insults, trying to pull me away from the group. 

"You're like a inch taller then me!" I yell, rolling my eyes and glancing back at the woman with pleading eyes. I don't think she's gonna let me see it. "Get off me Toby!" I yell and shake him off, carful not to accidentally hurt him. He giggles at me but keeps trying to pull me away from the group. 

"Dindu!" Richard yells at me and I roll my eyes, preparing to be scolded. "Why don't you ever fucking listen!? This is why the king doesn't let you outside the gates!" 

"He let's me out! Sometimes...." 

"Yeah for target practice! And only under adult supervision." He yells back, making me roll my eyes. I notice the man who took Jasmine back to the hilltop, I wonder how she's doing. 

"Hey you, long haired guy." I say pointing at the man, catching his attention and earning a angry look from Richard. "Your the one who took Jasmine home right? How is she?" 

The man looks at me with a kind smile. "She's fine, but we're still looking for Sierra." 

That must be her sisters name. 

"How do you know her?" The man asks, keeping the friendly persona. 

"Im the one who rescued her, she didn't tell you about me?" 

A surprised look came over him for a second, as if he didn't believe me. "She did, I was just expecting someone a bit .." 

"Taller? Smarter? Better looking?" Toby interrupts, poking fun at me again. I glare at him, trying to seem scary, but he just smiles at me. 

"I was gonna say older." The man chuckles. "How much of that story is true?" He asks. 

"I dont know the story" I start "I took down a bunch of people and came here, thats about the jist of it." 

"Morgan?" One of the girls says, catching everyone's attention. 

They know him? 

"How do you know eachother?" Richard asks, just as surprised as I am. 

"We go back to the beginning." The man with the python handgun holstered on his belt says. 

Richard looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't ask. "The king will see you now. Dindu fuck off!" Richard yells at me, surprising me. 

I let out a annoyed groan and throw my arms up. "Fine! Fine, I'll go." I whimper and walk a little ways. 

"Soooo.... were are we going?" Toby asks, close behind. I look back to the entrance of the amphitheater, watching the group file into the building. Waiting before they're all inside before I turn back around, making my way back towards the amphitheater. 

Tobys eyes widen when I turn around. It's almost like his brain buffered as he realized what I was doing. "Agh you said we were leaving." 

"I lied." I chuckled. "I wanna see what they're talking about." I say.I sneak my way into the amphitheater (despite Toby's protests) and watch as the man named Jesus is greeted by the king. And the groups reaction to Shiva. 

Jesus turns from the tiger to the group. "Right, I forgot to mention." 

"Ya.. Tiger." The leader say, taken back by the presence of the large cat. 

Thats a weird thing to forget, Jesus, you lying cunt. No one ever mentions the tiger. It's not like you just forget about the existence of tigers! You just wanna see their reaction.

Jesus continues his introduction of the group. "This is Rick Grimes, the leader of Alexandria, and these are some of his people." 

The king in his typical, warm tone acknowledges the group "I welcome you all to the kingdom, good travelers. Now what brings you to our fair land? Why do you seek a audience with the king?" 

Rick takes a moment to choose his words. "Ezekiel. King Ezekiel." He pauses for a brief second, clearing his throat. "Alexandria, The Hilltop, and the Kingdom. All three of our communities have something in common. We all serve the Saviors. Alexandria already fought them once and we won, we thought we took out the threat but we didn't know then what we know now. We only beat one out post. We've been told that you have a deal with them, that you know them. That you know they rule through violence and fear." 

A deal?

Jesus turns to the king with a expression of a child who got caught doing something they shouldn't be. "Your majesty, I only told them...." 

"Our deal with the saviors is not known among my people!For good cause." The king interrupts, a subtle hint of anger in his voice.

"What deal?" I turn the corner, making my presence known, a heavy silence fills the amphitheater. I turn my attention towards Rick and the rest of his people. "Who are the Saviors?" 

The black woman with the sword steps forward, a small tremble in her voice. "They killed some good people, brutally" 

Morgans eyes widen, taken back by the news."Who?" He asks

Rick and the women look at him in confusion, followed by horror at their realization, Morgan hadn't known about the deaths of his friends.

A angry Latina woman speaks for the first time"Abraham, glen, spencer, olivia, Eugene was taken." She leans forward slightly, keeping her arms crossed as Morgan digests the information. "You gonna say you were right?" 

Morgan looks away from the woman, choosing instead to glance at the ground. "No, Im...Im just real sorry they're gone." 

Rick continues. "Negan murdered Glen and Abraham, beat then to death." 

The girl Who first recognized Morgan speaks up. "He terrorized the Hilltop, set loose walkers just to make a point." 

Jesus speaks again. "I used to think the deal was something we could live with, Alot of us did. But that's changing. So let's change the world, your majesty." 

Rick takes charge of the conversation."I wanna be honest about what we're asking. Our people are strong, but there's not enough of us. We don't have guns, not enough at least. Not a lot of weapons period." 

Richard takes a deep breath, looking at the king."We have people, and weapons, if we strike first, together, we can beat them." 

"For once I agree with Rich." I chime in, allowing my stance to be known. "Waiting to see what happens never really worked out for me in the past." 

Richard continues "Your majesty, no more waiting for things to get worse beyond what we could handle. We set things right. The time is now." 

I smile at ricks group and turn to the king. "So, King Ezekiel, whatcha say?" 

The kind takes a moment to ponder "No." He says plainly, and I have to shake my head to register his words. 

Did this bitch just say no? Because that's what it fucking sounded like! I just fucking said we need to do something! We can't just sit and wait like cattle being lead to the slaughter! Does this bitch think he knows more then me? 

"Well what the fuck do you know!?" I scream, snarling at Ezekiel. "I just fucking told you shits gonna go sideways eventually! We may as well be the the ones turning it!" 

Richard steps forward, acting like I might attack Ezekiel. "You're out of line Dindu." 

"Nigga shut your fucking mouth!" I yell at Rich. Im not gonna waste my time talking to the guy who follows orders blindly, knowing it's the wrong move. So I turn my attention back to Ezekiel and say. "What do get out of this deal? You get your dick sucked or something?" 

"We trade resources for safety!" He justifies.

"Safety from them!" 

"Safety none the less!" 

"Nigga you being robbed! They're literally holding a gun to your head and taking your shit!" I scream. He sees that right? How could he not? It's plain as day. "It's not Safety if it's under the threat of violence! You've just negotiated yourself into a hostage..... congratulations." 

"That's enough boy!" The king yells at me, a scowl on his face. "Im doing what's best for my people! I suggest you stay in your lane and fall behind me." 

Now Im not sure why that hit me as hard as it did, but I was visibly shaking, so I did what felt natural. I decompressed my leg, picked it up in my hand and threw it like a spear right into the kings chest, the metal feet knocking the wind out of him as I stumble to the floor. "Punk ass bitch!" I scream before being dragged away.

—————————————————-


	6. Jump

"You know he has your best interests at heart, right?" Toby says, his arm around my shoulder in a comforting manner. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks he's my mother.

I roll my eyes "He doesn't even know what's in my best interest." I reply, fixing my prosthetic back into it's chassis, struggling due to my shaking hands. "I've see this type of shit before, it's best to strike when were still trusted." 

"Or it could cost us the entire kingdom." Toby insists, squeezing my shoulder lightly. "We have no idea what we're up against, we can't just go in guns blazing." 

"I can!" I retort, my eyes flashing blue. "I can do it myself if I need to." I mumble shaking Toby's arm off me and standing up. I feel suffocated, like the walls of this place are closing up. My skin feels hot and my mind is racing, thinking about the patterns from the past. Its the same now, not the threats but the pattern. 

" _He's coming."_ I whisper, as my vision fades from one reality to the next. The world I'm in versus the world it came from. The smoke, the fire..... the screaming. 

"What is it?" Toby asks with concern. He's standing now, not too close to me but close enough. "You look sick." 

I see him! My twin! Or is that me? Am I over there or am I right here? " _Get away from me!_ " I scream, feeling the pin pricks in my arm start again. 

Toby jumps when I yell, unsure of what to do. "Just breath!" He says placing his hands on my shoulders tightly. I push him away and collapse, feeling very dizzy. Why do my hands burn? 

_Alma!_

Toby talks but I cant hear him, he sprints off frantically. The sky suddenly darkens, as if the sun was extinguished. 

**Error**

_What error? Whats that mean? What's happening?_

**System shutting down**

I feel a impact, but I cant see. I feel static radiating throughout my body. I feel myself rising off the ground.

————————————————— 

The sky is red. Not like a sunset though, not as peaceful, not as calming. The sky is terrifying, and hot, and haunting. The sky is on fire and Im beneath the flames. 

I can smell burning, with a distinctive chemical scent, like acid or... perhaps Im mistaken. 

" _Acid is ineffective."_ My twin says, sitting on the rubble next to me, he doesn't even bother to look at my face. I can hear.... something, rapid, powerful, not gunshots but something.... something else. " _You really have forgoten everything, haven't you 'Dindu'?"_

Its useless talking to him, he never answers my questions anyways. I push the rubble off of me and look around. A city? Maybe? It looks like it could've been. But what happened to it? 

" _You above all should know what happened here."_

Bodies, hundreds of them, scattered about, all ages, sizes and races. But I can't see their faces..... it's too blurry, the smoke makes it hard to see, makes it hard to breathe. My lungs burn from the inside and I cough violently to extinguish the internal flames. 

" _Shhhhhh..."_ the twin says, putting his hand up, effectively silencing me. " _This is my favorite part...."_

The horizon explodes, and a missive, clear shockwave rips and cracks and throws the rubble around me, making me duck to protect myself. The air around me turns to paper, and it's suddenly impossible to breath. The heat and the fear have paralyzed me, and the screams ring out, but they're not mine. The shockwaves have carried the screams with them as the earth gives way into a crater, igniting the planet. It burns and it hurts, and I try to scream or cry or run but I can't.

_"It's not as fun from their perspective, Is it?"_

**————————————————**

**System reboot**

I feel the first breath of air fill my lungs. The air is warm and unmoving. Like the air next to a fire. Am I inside? I cant see anything yet. Ahh there we go. The first flash before my vision returns. I see... a ceiling, a wooden ceiling. And to my right is a fireplace, and a empty leather chair. Am I in a cabin? This definitely isn't the kingdom. 

I lean up on my elbows, noticing the warm, red blanket draped over me. Im still in my sweatpants and long sleeve shirt that I got from the Kingdom. This wasn't a normal jump, otherwise id be in my body suit.

Alma? 

**Personality matrix disabled**

Im still on the same planet, but this.... this hasn't happened before. 

I hear a noise on the other side of the wall, muffled talking. Then approaching footsteps, heavy boots. I hear the doorknob jiggle and I go still, pretending to be asleep. Two sets of footsteps enter the room, one heavy, the other a bit lighter. 

"He's still alive, I found him sleeping in the woods, not a scratch on him." One of the voices said, female. The accent is a bit different then what I've heard before. 

"So you thought you could just bring him here?" A man says, with a surprising raspy voice. "You thought that was the smart move?" He scolds the girl. 

"Daddy look at him! He's just a kid!" The girl talks back, receiving a smack on the face that resonates around the room. 

"Goddamn it Jacy, you cant just bring everyone you meet into our fucking place! We got too many mouths and ain't got enough food! We're dry goddamnit!" The man whisper screams at his daughter, apparently this is a habit for her. "You ain't gonna do this shit again aight?" 

"Aight daddy." Jacy whimpers out, her voice low and trembling. The man walks out of the room and the girl crys to herself silently. 

Should I like, say something? Whats a normal thing to say to a crying girl? 

"Sup." I whisper, proping myself up on my elbows and looking at the crying girl. Oh, she's cute. she has nice, smooth black skin. And shoulder length curly brown hair. Shes Maybe twenty years old with a strong, well maintained body. Like a runner, or maybe a martial artist? "You ok?" I ask.

She hides her face and wipes her eyes. "Y-ya I'm good." She replies, surprised by me. 

"So you brought me here huh? By yourself?" I ask. The girl looks at me and nods, rapidly regaining her composure. She nods but doesn't say anything. "Well... thanks." I say with a friendly smile. 

"No problem." 

I get out of bed and stretch, touching my head to my shins and stretching my arms before looking back at the girl. "So, do I get a tour?"

—————————————— 

This place isn't as clean as the kingdom, but its definitely secure. A middle school and a small block of houses make up the interior of the safezone. It lacks a parameter wall, instead using a series of chainlink fences and destroyed vehicles as a protective barrier from the dead. 

"Welcome to forest park." Jacy exclaims half heartedly. 

We continue to walk and she points things out to me and explains their purpose. "You see that grill? It runs offa propane, but we ain't got anymore cuz some crazy niggas came and stole it from us at gunpoint, doesn't matter cuz they took most the food too." She sadly explains

"Was it the Saviors?" 

"Nah it was Carmine and some gangbangers. They showed up a couple days ago." 

That means they're still nearby..... probably. "Do you know were they are?" I ask.

She gives me a inquisitive look. "I think Conor does, why?" 

"I could get your stuff back for you." I say smugly, making her laugh. 

"Yeah I'm sure you could." She rolls her eyes. 

No one ever believes me. 

I let out a sad sigh and we continue on with the tour, There's not many people here.... not many left I mean, had twenty, lost ten some time ago and lost three more two days ago. Only seven left. 

"Oh, well that is a shame." 

She lowers her head sadly "Yeah a damn shame." 

"Why not just kill carmine and be done with it?" 

She bops herself on the head and her eyes widen. "Gee why didn't I think of that!?" 

"I don't know." I shrug 🤷‍♀️ 

"You cant think of everything I guess." 

She opens her mouth but decides not to say anything. 

We move on to a large, gym like area. Inside were three men, one little girl and two teenagers, twin brothers by the look of it. They all gave a confused look when Jacy and I walked in. 

"God damnit Jacy." One of the twins mumbles. 

"Don't give me any shit Felix!" Jacy snaps at the boy, making him groan, his brother chuckles to himself lightly. 

Jacy clears her throat. "Everyone! This is....." 

"Dindu." 

She turns and looks at me "really?" She asks and I nod. "Well I guess his name is Dindu." 

"You fucked him without knowing his name?" The blond, blue eyed boy talks again, his arms crossed.

"Felix SHUT UP!" She yells at the boy. 

"Hi Dindu." His brother waves, peeking around Felix's shoulder. I chuckle and wave back. 

"Dindu, is that like a Aztek name or something?" Felix asks. I shrug and he just rolls his eyes and mumbles something to his brother. His brother shushes him and glances at me then back to Felix. 

"Don't worry about him, he's just mad cuz his dick gets sucked into his body every-once in a while." Jacy says purposefully loud so Felix would hear, he just flips her off over his shoulder and goes back to talking to his brother. 

I chuckle. 

We walk over to a small girl and Jacy picks her up, hugging the girl tightly. She's six, maybe seven years old. "Jamie meet Dindu." Jacy says in a sweet tone. Jamie gives me a shy wave and hides her face in the crook of Jacys neck. 

"Hi Jamie." I say, matching Jacys tone. I've always had a soft spot for children, the innocents of them. I hate to see that Innocents washed away, but I guess in a world like this its for the best. 

"Hey, kid! Come here!" A large muscular man with a lisp and a face tattoo calls me over to him. 

"Don't let him intimidate you." Jacy warns as I walk away. Jamie waves to me over her shoulder. 

I walk up to the man, his eyes looking me up and down, like he's sizing me up. 

"Hey." I say, unsure of what to do. "You wanna arm wrestle?" 

"Who are you?" The man asks ignoring my arm wrestling challenge. 

"Im Dindu?" I answer, not really sure what to say. 

"Where are you from?" He asks

"The kingdom I guess." 

"You guess?" The other man asks, a taller but slightly less muscular man then the one with the lisp. 

"I was only there for a week and two days." 

"Why were you in sleeping in the woods?" The white guy asks again. 

"I don't even know how I got there honestly." I say shrugging. 

"Like, you were drugged?" The man with the lisp asks. I nod my head in affirmation. What am I gonna tell them? Teleportation? I think the fuck not! 

"Which one of you is Connor?" I ask the two men. 

"I am." The taller, white man with the buzz cut answers. 

"So, carmine. You know where he is?" I Ask. 

The man gives me a glare at the mention of his adversary, but he nods. "I have a pretty good idea. Why?" 

I smirk. "I can get your food back for ya." 

"Oh really? How?" 

"Simple, we go in, kill carmine and take the food." I say. It's not a elaborate plan, and it's pretty ducking generic, but it gets the job done.

"Hmmmm just one question." 

"What?" 

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" He says. 

I shake my head in confusion, making sure my head was still attached to my body. "N-no." 

"So you're just stupid?" 

I blink a couple of times, but after I get a good look at the map on the table I walk out. "Fine, If I need to prove myself I will, but I expect a fucking apology when I'm back!"


	7. Compound

_"You ready boy?"_ I ask Fenrir as we look over Carmines compound. Observing the guards rotation patterns, they seem bored, undisciplined. They lack numbers, and there perimeter is too spread out to stay secure, leaving plenty of cracks in the settlement's defenses. Fenrir was somehow able to infiltrate the compounds interior, walk through its hall and map it out for me, allowing me to access it through my HUD. 

That's pretty neat huh? I thought that was neat, I can also see anyone he sees, but only when he sees them now that he's back out here I'm the woods with me I can't see them. Still neat though. 

_"Lets do this."_

I advance quickly, but quietly approaching the nearest guard, a man sitting on a lawn chair reading a book, his rifle beside him, resting on the concrete wall. I climb the high rise using the water pipe, its only eight feet to the top of the wall, so I climb it in a few seconds.

He didn't see me right? No? Ok good. 

I crawl foward on my knuckles and feet, like a gorilla. Stealthily sneaking up on the man. Fenrir keeps his sights other the other guard on the other side of the wall, allowing me to know his movements. I sneak up behind the distracted guard, he turns a page and I wrap my arms around his neck in a rear naked choke, flexing my bicep to cut off the flow of blood to his brain, rendering him unconscious in just a few seconds. I twist his neck sharply, and the sound of snapping vertebrae greet my ears. The man's body jerks, then relaxes as I gently place the man on the ground. Nice and painless. Ok Fenrir, you're up. 

The wolf charges foward jumping ove- holy shit! I didn't know he could jump that high! He latches onto the mans throat shaking it rapidly, tearing it out and killing the man before he even had time to react. Fenrir is boss as fuck! Good boy!

I grab the rifle off the ground, along with the mans side arm, stuffing the pistol into the front of my sweatpants. Shit, too loose feels weird. I decided to take the mans tactical belt, wrapping it around my waist and strapping the holster around my right leg, stuffing the pistol in there instead. Thats much better, and I get three extra pistol magazines as well. I press the butt of the ak-47 against my shoulder and make my way to the door, Fenrir close behind me. 

Hmmm, I've never infiltrated a compound with a dog before, but it sounds fun! 

I chuckle to myself opening the door and storming down the stairs, weapon ready. 

Is this on semi? Yep. 👍 

I make my way to the main hallway, surprisingly not a single person has crossed paths with me. This doesn't feel right.

_Fenrir, sniff em out._

The wolf's pace quickens, his nose to the ground. I follow closely behind, weapon ready, breath steady, There's vomit on his sweater already, moms spaghetti. Hes' nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready....... oh. 

I somehow stumbled into a large room, in the center of which were six men, crowded around a table playing some sort of card game.... probably poker, since one of the men has a hat on that literally has the words "poker"printed on the front of it.

"What the fuck?" One of the men sitting around the table shouts when he sees me and my dog.

Should I say a catchphrase? 

"Anyone order some.... death?" I awkwardly mumble, disappointed feelings spreading through my body. That could have been alot cooler. 

Fuck it. 

I open fire on the group, aiming for the head. I miss one and pop him in the collar bone, snapping it. Fenrir finished him of by ripping his throat out, violently, if I may add. 

"Fenrir you need to chill." I tell my blood thirsty dog.... or wolf.... or alien dog wolf. Im actually not sure what he is now that I think about it. 

_Dindu! This can wait!_

_You're right, me._

"Lets clear em out Fenrir!" I yell, knowing everyone in the compound would have heard those gunshots. 

I press on, following close behind Fenrir, knowing his nose can sniff out any hostiles in the compound. Fenrir is extremely capable in close-range combat, and despite my love of hand to hand fighting, I allow him to take on any single attacker we get within ten feet of, any farther and I fire upon them with my rifle. 

"That's twenty." I chuckle to the wolf beside me. Im almost out of ammo, three rounds left. I still have my sidearm so no reason to worry. 

"We're doing pretty good huh Fenrir?" I pat the dog on the head and am rewarded with a purr, This is the only dog I've seen that purrs like a cat, but he also the only one that has a internal link to my hud, allowing me to issue orders without saying a word, controlled entirely by thought. 

——————————————

"Kyah!" I scream and slam my knee into the mans sternum, sending him toppling over the table and onto the floor. He clutches his chest as I finish him off with two shots to the head with my pistol. 

I point my weapon at the door leading into the final room, quickly making my way to it. 

Get ready Fenrir. 

I turn the handle and push the door open, quickly moving inside, checking my corners. Nothing, except some monitors with a live feed of the compound. 

"They have security cameras?" 

I look around the room for a exit, the only door is the one I came through. I look at a bulletin board on the wall, on it is a map with circles, square numbers drawn on it. 

Hmmm, the Kingdom isn't circled on here, but Forest park has a square around it, along with other areas I don't recognize, some places are crossed out but I cant make sense of the code on here. 

Suddenly the door to my left slams shut, I hear Fenrir barking on the other side. I turn my weapon towards the door in surprise, but my weapon explodes in my hands, shrapnel cutting my face. 

"Oh what the fuck!" I yell, picking the shrapnel out of my hands and face and arms. A man jumps down from the pipes that line the ceiling of the room, a weapon in his hand and a stoic expression on his face. 

"Yo." I say to the man and pick the last piece of shrapnel out from under my right eye, the wounds healing as quickly as I pick out the shrapnel. "That was a good shot, but why didn't you aim for my head?" 

The man didn't say anything, simply just put his weapon down on the table behind him, next to the door. He then grabbed two knives from the holster on the back of his pants, tossing me one. 

I catch it and look at him curiously. My eyes widen with realization. 

"You... want to have a knife fight." 

A grin grew on the mans face as he started to laugh. "Hahaha I knew I couldn't play the serious role for long." The man begins tossing his knife if his hand and looking with me with.....affection? 

"Ohhh" the man moans. "Watching you tear away at those idiots, It got me all hot and bothered." The man says, licking his lips. 

"Wow, you are annoyingly edgy hehe." I chuckle.

"Almost got off before you got here, but you were too quick." The man says and then laughs.

"So kid, whats ya name?" 

"Dindu. And you are?" 

"Henry." The man moans his own name, touching himself all over. "So, you ready?" He says getting into a fighting stance 

"No." I say rolling my eyes. "And by no I mean yeah."

He laughs and charges forward, jetting the knife foward, narrowly missing my chest. I spin around, slicing the air as he ducks under my knife before jumping back from my kick. 

"Tricky tricky." 

I charge foward this time, kicking him in the chest, slamming him against the wall, and jetting my knife hand foward. He side stepps and grabs the back of my head. Instead of slamming my face into concrete, I roll my shoulder to protect my face and invert the knife in my hands before I thrust it backwards, he catches with his free hand and uses his knife handle to knock it out of my hand. I grab his knife hand and pull it next to me, using my weight and momentum to slam him into the wall. 

He drops his knife and kicks it away before wrestling his arm out of my grip. 

He grins at me "having fun?" 

"Ouch the edge." 

I charge forward, faking a front kick and jumping into a superman punch, he parries and bounces away, narrowly avoiding my back kick. 

I bounce on my toes in a side stance, waiting for him to make a move. He moves forward, I circle him, looking for a opportunity to close the distance. I see him loading up that back leg. I jab foward, catching him in the nose, he throws the leg and catches me in the rib cage, but im able to wrap my arm around it. I swing it to my live zone and cartwheel to his week zone, catching him in the jaw with my foot. Making him collapse. 

"Hhahah that was cool!" He screams, wiping the blood off his lower lip

Oh he's one of those guys who gets off on pain ain't he? 

"Don't get so perverted, it's uncomfortable." I roll

My eyes, waiting for him to get back to his feet. 

He jumps to his feet using only his shoulders and charges at me, Swinging at my face.

I catch the first punch with my hand, but I quickly realize Im stuck in the corner. I cover up as he continues to punch and elbow and kick sporadically, i do my best to block and parry all that I can, but there's only so much room to move when you're backed against a wall. I start blocking his attacks with my elbows, allowing him to enjoy the small jolts of pain that shoot through his hands with every useless attack. 

"Heh I see what you're doing boy." The man ceases his assault to speak. "Why not fight back? Its more fun when it goes back and forth." 

"You would be dead already if I fought back." I smirk. "Im just letting you have your fun first." 

He groans and loads up a right hook, I duck under and swing around him, wrapping my arms around his waist, using my hips to throw him up and over my head with a big suplex. 

He lands on his neck with a loud snapping noise as his skull bounces off the concrete floor beneath us. Blood begins pouring out of the back of his head. 

"Ohh haha you know how to touch a man don't ya?" The man chuckles, fighting through his grogginess. "And here I thought you were losing." 

"I'll admit, you have some decent moves...." I say. The back of his head is indented, and even if I was willing to help him, he'd be dead within five minutes. "Actually, 'had' is the better word."I get off of the man, grabbing the knife from the other side of the room. "Did you have fun?" 

"I did." 

"Thats the important part."

I giggle walking over to him, waving the knife in my hand. "Hey can you roll over?" 

He groans and rolls onto his back. I lean down and stab the knife through his heart, crushing his sternum in the process. "Thanks." I chuckle and pat him on the head, earning a smile as the man fades out of consciousness. 

Fucking psycho. I might miss him. 

I rip the map off the wall and fold it up, placing it in my pocket. 

Shit, I should've asked Henry about the map. Whoops 

I open the door and am greeted by a very anxious looking Fenrir. "Alright boy, lets get that food." I say and pat him on the head. 

—————————————— 

"Holy fuckles!" I exclaim, walking into the food storage area in the nucleus of the compound. There's literally a ton of food in here! This had to have come from more then one settlement. "Alright..... guess I'll just move this shit."

I walk to a decent sized, neatly packed package of food, squatting down to properly lift the box up, using my hip

Bones as support. I begin waddling out the door, making my way through a hallway. 

"Fuck!" I scream when I run into the wall instead of walking through the door. "God damnit! I hate moving things!" 

I eventually make my way through the compound and out the the door, allocating one of the compounds trucks, stuffing the box in the back before repeating the process another twelve times, filling the bed of the pickup truck before opening the drivers side door and getting comfortable in the leather seat. 

"Start." I say to the wheel in front of me, waiting for a response. I got none.

"Ignite." I exclaimed, a bit more stern in tone, to no avail. 

"Begin! Nigga damn!" I scream, my blood boiling from the vehicles lack of cooperation. 

I ummm... I don't know how cars work.


	8. Thunder

After twenty minutes of attempting to start the car I finally admitted defeat, choosing to huff it back to Forest Park on foot. 

Connor didn't believe me when I told him I had cleared out the compound, killing everyone inside. I resorted to describing the interior of the compound in painstaking detail, and handing over the map I had taken from the monitor room. He put the muscular man, Mike, in charge of the group while he accompanied me on a quick run to the compound. He seemed surprised by the carnage, but not necessarily shaken by it; citing his career as a S.W.A.T operative as the reason for being so composed. "Nothing new" he said, comparing the carnage to that of the Mexican Cartels. I had expected a bit of praise for my work, but quickly realized his handshake after discovering the food storage room was all the recognition I was going to receive. 

He drove the truck I had packed with food back to forest park while I waited at the compound. I spent the alone time slaying the reanimating corpses and checking out the military grade equipment that was stored in the armory of the compound. I decided to take a pistol and M-4 rifle from the armory, equipping both with a silencer, I had considered placing a red dot sight on my new rifle, but decided to just use the holographic one built into my H.U.D. It's like a circle with a crosshairs in the center of it, I can also zoom using my natural eye sight. 

Eventually Connor returned with the twins, Mike, and a new man named Clinton, who identified himself as Jacys' father. We spent hours moving supplies and equipment back to Forest park, using the Vehicles from the compound as transport. It took the entire day, and everyone was exhausted, but we got the job done. The Forest Park group now has a surplus of weapons, food, water, and medicine. All

Possible thanks to yours truly! 

You're welcome! You ungrateful fucknuggets! 

A wink and a pat on the back! Thats what I get! Can someone please just grab my ass at least? Seriously. I solved all their problems in half a fucking hour! 

—————————————— 

I take a deep breath of cool, morning air. Enjoying the silence and rocking in the chair on the porch of my new house. There's more houses then people here, and after yesterday I was welcomed to stay. 

I take another bite of my pork chops, enjoying the sweetness that the fat provides as well as the overall meaty texture. I hadn't see any pigs at the compound, which means they were either taken from another settlement, or they have farm animals at another compound. 

I cut a small piece off of one of my pork chops and raise it in front of my dog. Fenrir watches my hand intently "Catch." I say and toss the meat in the air. The wolf gobbles in up quickly and his tail wags rapidly. I take another bite before repeating the process. 

It's around six in the morning, I had gave up on sleeping, feeling much stronger then usual thanks to the abundance of food I've eaten since last night, including a variety of canned fish, beef, eggs and pork. All of this in addition to the sunlight and yesterday's nap provided me with a almost unbearable amount of energy. I tried exercising, but that didn't help much, so I went out for a while in the middle of the night, using my knife to slice and dice a innumerable amount of zombies within a three mile radius of the settlement, using the trees to my advantage. I discovered that Fenrir is able to consume the corpses, using the tendrils that extended from his back to absorb entire human bodies within seconds, something I was able to do in the past. 

I place my dishes in the sink at my house, using a water bottle and soap to wash them before placing them on the counter to dry. I turn to my dog, "Wanna go for a walk?" I ask Fenrir, who shakes his tail vigorously. I open the door and follow him out, watching as he sprints around the safe zone.

_That boy, whats his name again?Felix?_

I spot the boy sitting crisscross on a blanket in the middle of the grassy field. Since he's the only one up right now I may as well talk to him, I was too busy yesterday to get properly acquainted. 

"Yo." 

The boy opens his eyes and looks up at me with a friendly grin. "Oh, Dindu its just you." He cocks his head to the sude curiously. "Whoa, your eyes are really blue." 

I shrug my shoulders "Hmmm? Yep." He's a bit friendlier then I remember. Ohh wait this is the twin! Duh! 

"Oh, you're the twin, I never learned your name." 

He chuckles to himself, apparently happy about something. "Liam, Liam Young."

"What are you doing, Liam Young?" I ask, swaying my hips side to side awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm meditating, care to join me?" He scoots over and pats the blanket next to him invitingly 

I shrug "Heh, sure."and sit down next to him, mimicking his sitting posture and crossing my legs.

"Just relax and focus on your breathing." He says and then takes a deep breath as if to demonstrate.

"I was raised by monks, I know how to meditate." I say, kinda cutting him off. I notice his mood recede a bit, and I decide to try and bring him back out of his shell. "Why do you meditate?"

"Well.... I use it to manage my stress. I started before all of this started, me and my mom used to practice together." 

"Did it take a long time?" 

"Yeah, but I've had plenty of practice since then." 

"Does your brother ever do it? He seems a bit stressed." 

He chuckles "Hehe no, he always thought it was stupid." 

"Oh, how come?" 

He opens his eyes and puts his hands on his chin "Well.... Im not actually sure, I mean he always had anger issues, but I think he grew comfortable being angry." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well.... have you ever had to do something, and once it was over you feel like theirs still

more to be done? I think thats how he feels, he's gotten so used to being angry he forgot how to be happy." 

"Well that's depressing." I say, and he glances over at me with dark green eyes. He chuckles, taking my comment as a Joke.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, allowing the cool air to fill my lungs. I let my muscles relax and keep my posture straight. I attempt to let my thoughts go.

Guess what Im not doing 

Did you guess?

Did you guess thinking?

Because that's wrong. I think this little conversation I'm having with myself is still considered thinking. 

Probably.

Definitely 

Son of a bitch, I can feel his eyes on me. I open my eyes and groan.

"Stop staring at me Liam!" 

He bursts out laughing and gives me a funny look. "Hahaha try to not get frustrated. Just focus on your breathing. Let your emotions slide off you." 

"Just don't eye fuck me." I mumble before taking a long, deep breath. Feeling the cool morning air fill my lungs again, letting my anxieties and thoughts fade away and evaporate. 

I feel good, like Im weightless. I feel a warmth spread through me, despite the cold air. Eventually I cease to feel the breeze, instead taking on the form of a warm, weightless body. I see nothing, I hear nothing. I have no thoughts, good or bad. And I am content 

"Hello?" A distorted voice says, confusion apparent in its voice. 

_Hello?_

"Wh-whats going on?" The voice stutters, sounding afraid.

_Hmmm, Im not sure._

"I don't get whats go-go going on." 

_Are you me?_

"I-I don't know. I d-d-don't know what's going on." The voice starts hyperventilating, it's breath sharp and screeching.

I start so see the outlines of shapes. 

"Am I dreaming?" The voice asks, calming a bit.

_Am I?_

I see the outline of a body, I can see it looking around. But I cant see what It sees. 

"Okay, okay, I'm dreaming, dreaming lucidly." 

_I can see you, can you see me?_

"I-I see sh-shimmering." 

_Shimmering?_

"Li-lik-like when h-he disappeared." 

_He?_

"M-my friend." 

_Toby!?_

My eyes flick open and I fall on the ground. I look around and see the twins staring at me "You were fucking Floating!" Felix screams, his brother hides behind, a mixture of caution and curiosity on his face. 

"I talked to Toby." 

Liam peaks out a little more, more curious then afraid. "You talked to who?" 

I take quick rapid breaths. Some of Tobys anxiety must have rubbed off on me. "He's my fri-friend, from the kingdom, I just talked to him." 

Liam moves around Felix and crouches down next to me, noticing my newly developed stutter. "What did he say?" 

"He was con-confused, thought he was sleeping" I answer, body trembling slightly, not out of fear, but trembling with energy. 

Felix clears his throat to get our attention. " So are we just gonna not acknowledge that you were just in the fucking air?" 

I roll my eyes and glare at the moody twin. "You're still on that?" 

Felix glares back and raises his hands."Yes I'm still on that! Thats some paranormal shit! You shouldn't be here, you need to get your butt to a church or something!" 

"I don't know man, sometimes I levitate its no big deal." 

"No big deal?!" Felix shouts. "You're like a greek myth!"

Liam lets out a nervous giggle and puts his hands on his brothers shoulders, trying to calm him.

"Relax Felix." He says in a soothing voice and Felix rolls his eyes in response, but relaxes nonetheless. Liam spots Fenrir and focuses his attention on him. "What is it boy?" He asks the anxious looking wolf, its ears perked up. 

Felix shoves Liams arms away. "Don't change the subject! This could be important." 

Fenrir starts barking aggressively and a large convoy of trucks pulls up in front of Forest Parks main gate. The twins look at each other, unsure of the situation. 

"Do you know them?" I ask, sensing the tension in the air. They answer me by sprinting off, Felix grabbing my arm and pulling me with them. 

"Oh shit! Thats Carmine!" Felix yells pushing me and liam into a nearby house and locking the door behind us. 

"Carmine? The guy who stole the food." 

"Carmine as in the guy who murdered twenty people last week! That Carmine." Felix screams, fear evident on his face and Liam places his arms on his shoulders again. 

"Breath Felix!" He advises and is shrugged off by his near hysterical twin. "Felix! I need you to calm down right now bro!" 

Hmmm I have my Glock-17 with me, seventeen rounds a magazine. I have four magazines in total, giving me sixty eight rounds. I could just go out there and deal with them. 

I walk towards the door and unlock the bolt, but im stopped by Liam. "What are you doing!?" He asks confused by my actions. 

"Umm going outside?" I say as if it's obvious. 

He begins to protest but is interrupted by a loud explosion. We scramble to a window, using our fingers to peek through the blinds. "They blew up the gate." Liam mutters, fear in his voice. 

"Looks like they're coming in." I say noticing the squad of armed men moving in, they seem to be using military tactics. I should meet them out there. 

I move to the door again but this time Felix wraps his arms around me from behind. Using all his strength to try and drag me back from the door. "Ummm what you doing?" I ask, not bothering to wrestle out of his grasp. 

"Keeping you from getting killed!" He yells, still trying to drag me back but I wont budge. 

"I can't die ya know?" I chuckle. Even after yesterday these cunts doubt me. 

"What do you mean?!?!" He asks desperately. I was gonna make a joke but I was cut off by the man who kicked the door open. Felix screamed and let go of me, raising his arms above his head. Two more men follow behind him, weapons raised at each of us, the leader of the group focuses his weapon at my chest. 

"Hands up!" He orders and I roll my eyes. He repeats himself, louder this time, taking a step closer. 

"I don't want to." I chuckle, earning a piercing glare from the angry man. It's a simple bait strategy. If he didn't come in guns blazing, then the odds are he had no intentions if murdering a couple kids.

"I will fuckin shoot you!!" The man screams, taking another step forward. One step too close! 

I use one hand to pull his rifle out of his hands, enjoying the surprised look on the mans face. I kick the man in the chest knocking him back before side stepping towards the man on my right. 

Grabbing the rail of the rifle I bring the plastic butt of the rifle down on the mans head vertically. The man falls to the ground and the plastic butt of the rifle shatters, sending plastic splinters around the room. I throw the broken rifle at the remaining man, he blocks it with his gun. I sprint up to him and deliver a Karate style straight punch to his solar plexus. A wave of energy shoots through my arm and pushes the man through the wall of the house, surprising even me. 

My Thunderclap is back! 

A psionic wave of energy capable of extraordinary damage, also it's quite loud, the sudden pressure change creating a gap in the air. When the gap closes a loud, supersonic snap can be heard, hence the name "Thunderclap". I can use it at will, just point my hands in the direction of my target and fire at will. Unfortunately, It uses up a bit of energy. 

I feel my eyes burn hot with excitement. I shoot a grin at Felix over my shoulder, a surprised look on his face seemingly being shocked out of his earlier hysteria. 

The hostile leader scrambles to his feet, reaching for his side arm.

"Do It again!" Felix screams and pulls his brother behind me. 

I point my fist at the man, firing the booming blast of energy through my body. A visible distortion slams into the man, audibly snapping countless bones and sending the man straight back through the wall of the green house on the other idea of the street.

"Woo!" I screech, ecstatic about the reemergence of one of my powers. This will put Forest Park on equal terms with Carmines army! I look over my shoulder at the twins "Get help! I'll draw their attention." 

Liam nods and drags his brother behind me as I charge out the door, I fire off some shots from my glock to suppress the squad of people across the street, keeping them in cover so the twins can get away.

"You came to the wrong street bitch!" I taunt and charge across the street, keeping my weapon ready incase one of them pop out of cover, which of course one of them does, earning a bullet through the eye. 

Eight rounds left.

I charge onto the porch, narrowly dodging a bullet aimed at my chest. I retaliate by slamming my metal foot into his face, breaking the mans nose. As I load up another kick Im greeted by a bullet to the chest by a four man squad near the break in the gate, knocking me onto my back. 

I shoot the man I had previously kicked in the head before crouching and rolling behind the cover, popping my head out of cover for a moment the see the enemy at the gate. I pop up and fire three shots, hitting a man in the shin, his friends open fire on me, forcing me into the interior of the house. 

Four rounds left. 

I crawl behind the kitchen counter, shielding my eyes from the shards of glass as bullets riddle the house, smashing the window over the kitchen counter. I wait for a low in gunfire but Carmines men seem pretty angry about me killing off a couple of their men, screaming obscenities and focusing fire at me. I'm faced with a decision, either peak out and risk getting my head shot off, costing me valuable time and energy, or wait for the enemy to storm this house, giving me a close range fight. I raised my hand out of cover, a bullet going straight through, leaving a bloody mess of a hand. 

Guess I'll wait. 

I crouch walk to to the edge of the kitchen, peaking out to see the door I came in and spot a large group of hostiles, weapons up, moving in. Some of them charge in and the rest surround the house. 

Now or never. 

Before I move a volley of gunfire slams into some of the men out side, making them scatter. I guess the rest of Forest Park is finally fighting back. The six men in the house with me are distracted by the gun fire, allowing me to open fire on the two closest men, hitting them both in the head, shattered their skulls with lead. 

Two rounds left, make em count!

I sprint out of cover, slamming the closest man into the wall, holding his rifle in place with my body and left hand. I turn and with my weapon hand fire the remaining rounds at the other man, slamming into his chest and knocking him over. 

Shit! He has a vest under his jacket. 

I holster my weapon and focus on the man I have pinned attempting to wrestle his assault rifle out of his grip. I resort to using vicious elbows, slamming them into his head, creating cuts which bleed into his eyes. "Let go you cunt!" I scream, rapidly losing my window to finish off the man on the ground. I slam my hand into the mans throat, finally making him let go, before elbowing the man a final time and spinning with the momentum , firing a volley at the man on the ground. 

And another one gone! 

I focus my attention on the last man, dodging his erratic, uncoordinated punches. I spin to his dead zone(his back) and slam the butt of the rifle into the back of his head, making him stumble to his knees. I raise the gun to his head, firing a single shot. 

His brain spatters onto the carpet beneath us, and I set the rifle down and reload my Glock before re holstering it and pick up the rifle. My head is low as I move to the entrance, most of the men seem preoccupied with the assault being launched from three separate houses on the other side of the settlement, looks like Forest Park is all in! 

I quietly make my way out of the house, using the battle as cover to flank my enemies, dropping all the bodies that my friends can't get a bead on, they offer their support by providing covering fire, shooting down all who attempt to flank me. Carmines gang suddenly launches a full retreat, firing smoke grenades from the other side of the fence. 

Unfortunately for them, I have built in thermal vision, allowing me to use the smoke to my advantage, making my way through the enemy's line and Next to Carmines retreating convoy. 

I let out a ferocious scream and slam my elbow into a mans head, knocking him unconscious. I feel bullets rip through my back, dropping me onto my stomach roughly. After my face bounces off the concrete, I turn over and use my Thunderclap on the squad of hostiles, slamming them into the vehicles behind them and literally tearing one of them apart, a few fingers sticking to a red pickup trucks window. 

I try to use my legs to get up, but one of the bullets managed to hit my weak spot, a soft vertebrae on my lower back, in between my tendril points. I use my elbows to roll onto my back and pick myself up on of the rifles lying on the ground, propping myself up against the dead body behind me and firing at Carmines retreating convoy.

"Fuck." I curse to myself in frustration. I could have finished this. I fire off the last few rounds in my possession and throw my weapon to the ground, waiting for my spine to heal, crossing my arms. 

The corpse I'm laying on begins to twitch, alerting me to its reanimation, my hand clamping onto its throat before my Thunderclap, shattered its head hand collar bones. 

Fuck, all these corpses are gonna come back alive eventually. 

My spine finally heals, allowing me to stand and look around, usually all these bodies would fill me with pride, but our settlement was destroyed in the process! 

"Welp, that sucks."

I say sarcastically, feeling my frustration boil in my brain. 

I walk through whats left of the barriers through the smoke and into the middle of the settlement, raising my thumbs in the air to signal the all clear.

——————————————

"Good fucking Job guys!" Connor praises the group, slapping us on the back and celebrating our victory. We didn't lose a single person, not one. However there were some injuries, Clinton took a round through the forearm, shattering it. Liam got hit by flying debris and received a concussion, he's having vision problems at the moment. Jacy has some glass shards stuck in her face and neck, apparently being quiet painful. 

"Shouldn't we find a doctor?" Felix suggests, his arm wrapped protectively over his twin. 

"Yeah if I could get this fucking glass outa my face I'd appreciate that." Jacy chimes in, annoyed with Connors celebration. 

"Well does anyone know a doctor?" Connor asks, crossing his arm. 

Hmmmmm. 

"I know of one, Gerald, he's from the Kingdom." I say, remembering the mans awkward inspection of my prosthetic upon arrival the the Kingdom. "I'm sure he could help."

"Well there we go." Felix says rolling his eyes "And im sure they'll take us in." 

"We have supplies" Liam mumbles, his head on his brothers shoulder. "We could try bargaining." 

"Can we hurry this up? The gates broken remember? Those crackheads can come in anytime!" Clinton groans, Holding whats left of his shattered forearm. 

"He's right we cant stay here" Jacy backs up her Father. "We need to find a new place to stay, this place is gone." 

I look around me, observing the burned remains of some of these houses, my Thunderclap being to blame for a large bulk of the damage. Whoops.

"So, Kingdom?" I ask, clarifying the plan. 

"Lets go."


	9. Saviors

"Why does Fenrir get to sit in the front?" I pout, crossing my arms in the back seat of the green pickup truck.

"Cause I don't want to be covered in dog hair." Felix answers in a annoyed tone. 

"Well how come I have to sit in the middle!" I say, sitting in between the twins. I hate being stuck in the center! Is a tactical pickle. What if the dude on my left attacks me? Then I have to fight him off while the dude on my right try's to tear my head off!

Felix rolls his eyes and looks out the window. "Because you're the smallest." 

"Im bigger then you!" I mumble, purposely leaning nudging him with my shoulder. He doesn't do anything the first time, so I nudge him a little harder. 

"Fucking stop please!"he screams, trying to shove me away, making me press against him harder. 

"Kids, shut up!" Mike screams from the drivers seat, scaring us into obedience. I try my best to stay focused, but after a couple of minutes of silence I start to doze of, accidentally resting my head on Liam. "Sorry." I apologize and pick myself off of him, earning a chuckle from the nicer twin.

"Why don't you take a nap?" Liam asked, resting his head against the window and looking at me sideways. 

"Not really tired, just bored." I say. 

"Is that why you're falling asleep?" Felix sarcastically asks. 

I shrug my shoulders "Yeah." 

"We could play a question game to pass the time." Liam suggests, giving me a pleading glance before looking back out the window. "It's better then nothing." 

I think about it for a second, before shrugging. "Hmmmm Okay, who wants to go first?" 

"I'll go first" Felix pipes up, seemingly interested in the idea. "Mike, you bit a dudes ear off once, why did you do that?" 

"Felix you can't ask him about that!" Liam scolds his brother, getting flipped off in the process. 

Mike puts his hand up, ordering a silence. "Its fine." He says, putting his hand back on the wheel. " I was fighting Evander Holyfield for the heavyweight title in 1997, he head butted me, cut my head open." Mike starts, captivating the twins with his story. "And I was just um, enraged and I wanted to inflict so much pain on him, and stuff um, and I was just pissed off that he was such a great fighter too. And I was just so angry, so when we were in a clinch I just bit a chunk outta his ear. I did it twice actually I bit both ears but I took a chunk outa one of em." 

"You were a fighter?" I ask, intrigued by the mans past.

"Yeah, I was a boxer." 

"What was your record?" I asked, he said title fight earlier right? He musta been pretty decent at least.

"I had fifty five wins and umm six loses." He replies nonchalantly. Thats pretty good! "What about you? You a fighter?" He asks glancing at me briefly through the rear view mirror. 

"I think so? But I guess I was just a soldier." 

"You guess?" Felix asks with genuine curiosity. "Whatcha mean?"

"I was on a task force, but never officially in any military, but I helped them out for a bit." I say, playing with my own hair, twisting it around my finger. The vague memories of my service time jumble around in my head like popping popcorn.

"Where are you from?" Felix asks. 

I shrug my shoulders "I have no Idea, another dimension I guess." Shit gets fuzzy when I try to think about the other places Ive been. I've chalked it up to concussions.

"What were they like?" He asks, being a bit friendlier then Im used too. Maybe he's genuinely curious? Or maybe he thinks Im lying. Maybe he's poking fun at me.

"My memory of them is a

bit shotty..." I confess, "But the first one was highly radioactive, some nuclear war happened and wiped out most of the planet, leaving small pockets of people. The second one had giants running around, and something else...I don't remember it very well." 

Fenrir starts to make, loud excited yipping noises. Startling everyone in the car. Mike puts a hand on the dog. "Ey its ok boy, relax." 

_Show me what you see._

I close one of my eyes and see through his eyes, another convey, but this ones not Carmine's. Garbage trucks? Bicyclists? Curious. "We need to make a detour. Turn right up there." I say pointing to the fork in the road. 

"What, why?" Mike asks giving me a inquisitive look over his shoulder. 

"I saw a convoy, we need to follow them." 

"You know my brother has a concussion right?" Felix complains. "Were not really in shape to take down a convoy." 

"Were not fighting, just tailing them." I specify, still unsure of my instincts. I just feel

like thats what we need to do. 

"Don't we have more important things to do?" Mike asked, sounding unsure. 

"No. radio it in please."

Mike sighs, but complies, sending the message to Connor and Jacy in the other two trucks, informing them of our new route.

——————————————

"They're inside the gate." Mike says, watching the settlement from a half mile back.Hopefully were hidden. "I can't see what's going on inside though." 

Hmmmm. 

"Let Fenrir out." I suggest, having a idea. If Fenrir was able to sneak into the compound, Im sure he can find away into that settlement. Mike complies, opening the passenger side door, allowing Fenrir to bolt out of the car and disappear into the woods. 

"What are you planning?" Felix asks as I climb into the passenger side seat. 

"Fenrir has a psychic link with me, I can see what he sees, so Im scouting that settlement." I explained, closing one eye, seeing a cluster of passing trees. 

"Thats fucking cool." Felix chuckles, fidgeting nervously. This bitches voice cracked when he said _fucking_ and I have to push down the urge to laugh in his stupid fucking face about it.

"We should hide the cars." I say, beginning to feel nervous. "Just in case." Better safe then sorry! If shit hits the fan I'd rather our trucks not be in the crossfire.

"We can pull around the back of the settlement, this is the main road after all." Mike suggests and I nod in agreement.

I close my eyes, seeing the interior of the place, the makeshift walls, the well kept houses, and a boy, the boy with the eyepatch. What was his name again? "Drop me off in front, I'll make sure they don't open fire on us." 

Mike radios the plan and proceeded to pull forward, towards the settlement, I see faces peaking over the wall, but none that I recognize. Just a bunch of dirty people. 

"No need to stop Mike, just slow down when you turn and I'll jump out." 

He nods and I get ready, grabbing the assault rifle from behind Mikes seat and slipping on a ammo vest, adjusting it for comfort. Mike slows down to around three miles per hour as he makes the turn, allowing me to quickly pop out of the car without needing to roll or compensate for inertia. 

I stand keep my eyes on the staring people on the other side of the gate, hearing rapidly, distorted chatter. I wait for the other two trucks to pass in front of me, giving Jamie a friendly wave after spotting her in the passenger seat of Jacy's vehicle. 

I take a deep breath and strut forward towards the gate, I bang on the steel bars, sending a loud banging noise through the area. 

"Hey!" I wave at the confused looking people above me. "Open the frick frackling door please!" 

The dirty people just stare at me and look at each other, unsure of what to do. 

"I said please! Cmon!" I change my voice to that of a scared childs. "Im just a widdle boy! Please open the door!" 

No response again, just confused looks, I spot a man I vaguely remember from the kingdom, I don't really remember his name. He's the fuck face with the beard? You know? Help me out please!

No? Okay fuck you too. I'll figure it out myself! Next time you need something don't come crying to me!

Name game! 

"A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R your names Rick!" I proudly declare, my voice back to normal. He comes close to the gate, a tense look on his face. 

"What do you want?" He gruffly asks, giving me a nearly hostile look. 

"My friends are hurt." I explain and notice my canine companion following the boy with the eyepatch again, I point at Fenrir "And my dog is in there." 

Rick turns and spots the dog, his son giving him a shrug, the man turns back to face me. "Look" he starts, "Now is not a good time, Negans men are probably already on their way, we won't be able to help you." 

Hmmm, so thats Why Fenrir was so adamant about getting here......... actually that doesn't make sense, it's probably something completely different. Dogs aint psycic right? Maybe rhey are... Ill need to brush up on my dogology later.

"Ya know..." I start, a cocky smirk on my face "I got superpowers, you let us in and I'll help ya fight. 

"You said your friends were hurt" he says, tone shifting to be a bit more sincere and less hostile. "I don't think we can help you right now either way." 

The static starts trailing up

My spine, filling me with power, I roll my eyes at Rick and turn point my arm at the trees across from us, firing off a single concussive blast the splits a section of the forest and echoes across the valley, starting several onlookers to covering their ears. I turn back to rick. 

"So you sure you don't want my help?" I say smiling. Fuck it's good to have this back! Just wait for my other shit to load in or whatever the fucking hold up is.

He gives me a sideway look, then proceeded to unlock the gate, pulling it open and literally waving me inside, fucking damn near bowing when I strutted in, enjoying all the looks I was getting. Usually I hate being stared at! But I'll take the awe struck stares for the moment. I just nodded my head and put a little bounce in my step as if to say "thats right". 

"Y'all don't mind If I park in here do you?" I ask Rick over my shoulder. "I got a metric fuck ton of stuff in those trucks, I don't want them outside for too long." 

Rick clears his throat, "um yeah, pull it around and park in the corner." 

"Yeet." I say in appreciation, running to the other side of the settlement and climbing on the gate, looking over, waving my hands and successfully getting Liams attention, he rolls his window down. 

"Drive on in! I'll show you were to park." I yell and receive a thumbs up. The convoy makes their way inside the walls, guided by my and a couple other peoples directions. They get out of the vehicles and stretch. 

"Is that Mike Tyson?" Rick asks over my shoulder, I send his a confused glare. 

"You know him?" I ask, wondering if they have history together. 

"No, I just remember him from T.V." He explains, staring the the man. 

"What cha mean?" I asked unsure what he means by T.V.

"I used to watch his fights, when I was a kid." He specified, clueing me in on the concept of T.V. Hmmmmmm, people could just watch other people? Sounds creepy. 

I make my way to my group. They seem wary of their surroundings. The dirty people giving us strange glances. "So...." Jacy starts, "Why you got us here? With all these dirty ass people giving us dirty ass looks?" 

I chuckle and shrug. "Not sure yet, it was Fenrirs idea."

"Well im glad we're taking orders from your dog now." 

"So am I." I smile, glad to have someone finally agree with me in this. She gives me a exasperated look and makes a weird sound at me. It sounded like "ggghgag" or something like that.

"I was being sarcastic!" She yells, putting he arms on her hips.

"So was your face." 

She grunts and walks back to her truck, grabbing a rifle from the back seat. Connor walks over to me. "What are we doin here?" He asks with genuine curiosity. 

I shrug "Rick!" I call the man watching us closely, sizing up everyone in my group. "Can you tell him what we're expecting?" I ask the man leave them be, making my way to the twins who are in their own private conversation."Whats up guys?" I ask, usually they don't have trouble having their little talks out loud, but right now they look like they don't want people to hear them, and this time it isn't me. 

Liam pulls me by the sleeve into their little huddle behind Mike's truck. 

"See that kid over there?" He asks, pointing to the boy that Fenrir is infatuated with, the boy with the eyepatch. 

"Mmhmm" I hum when I spot the boy, who was currently pretending not to be taking glances at us over his shoulder, finding something else to look at after each glance. "What about him?" 

"I think Felix and me went to school with him, but im not sure, we were in elementary school at the time." Liam elaborates, giving me another glimpse of this worlds past. Elementary school? I wonder what thats like. 

Felix scratches the side of his head, thinking quietly."He would have recognized us right? I mean we ate lunch with him all the time, and it's not like their were a lot of twins at school, just us I think." He says shrugging to his brother. I roll my eyes at the boys. 

"Why not just ask him?" I say, confused by the twins timidness. "Whats the worst he can do? Say he doesn't know you?" Liam sighs loudly, looking back at me.

"Its just awkward." Liam says, making me giggle. There's people trying to kill us, were in a brand new place surrounded by people we don't know, There's fucking zombies everywhere, and these two are afraid of a little awkward moment? 

"Do you remember his name?" I ask, having a simple plan. 

"I think it was Carl?" Liam says, looking at his brother for confirmation, receiving a nod. "Yep Carl." I scream carls name loudly, before ducking behind the truck, leaving one eye exposed to see if the boy reacts....which he does, jumping at the sound of his own name. 

Liam and Felix give him a awkward wave, making me laugh behind the truck. The boy meanders over, a grin on his face. "You two went to Morning side Elementary right?" The boy asks, already knowing to answer. The boys smile and nod in unison while I sit there awkwardly, trying to be invisible. Carls smile widens as he's hit with a nearly visible wave of nostalgia. "You guys used to share your lunch with me."

"I used to give you the yogurt I didn't like." Felix says, a slight smirk on his face, like he's glad to be remembered.

"And I gave you some of my sandwich, because I could never finish it." Liam says, matching Carls nostalgic tone. 

"I never thought I would see anyone I went to school with again." Carl says, stepping next to me and leaning on the truck. "Do you guys remember when it was my birthday, and one of you guys got stuck in the bounce house?" 

Felix's eyes light up, his smile growing to a point we're it almost looks painful "That was me! And someone turned it off without telling me!" The three of them let out a laugh "I thought I was gonna suffocate!" 

Carl laughs again, holding the holster on his hip steady so it would stop jiggling. "Hahaha your mom was soooo mad, she swore she was never going to let either of you come back to my house again." 

Both boys made a laughing groaning noise before Liam talks "I remember coming back like a week later, and something about getting water guns." 

Felix's eyes widen again with another memory, he smiles at his brother "Oh yeah! That was during that massive heat wave! I remember our A.C. burned out." 

I sit there, enjoying listening in on their conversation. It's nice to see them so happy, despite being forced out of their home earlier today. A small part of me is envious of their memories. I can hardly remember anything from my past, especially my friends. I cant remember a single name, just a few adjectives, one girl was blond from the second world and one boy had a scar on his throat from the first. But I don't remember them for the most part, and that hurts. I feel shitty about it sometimes, I mean when I'm not busy with murder.

"Carl!" Rick screams, pulling me out of my daze. "Get on the wall! They're here!" He screams and runs off towards the wall. 

"Stay here!" Carl says to the twin and sprints off towards the ladder to the top of the makeshift barricade leaving the twins confused. 

"Whos here?" Felix asks his brother, receiving a shrug in response. Connor makes his way to us, taking the safety off and taking cover behind me, his rifle resting on the back of the truck. 

"They're called the Saviors." He says, adjusting the scope of his AR-15, pointing it at the gate. 

"I assume they're not being lead by Jesus." Felix says, pushing his brother next to me and grabbing two rifles, handing one to Liam and keeping the other for himself. He moves next to Connor and copies his tactic of placing his rifle on the truck. Liam gives me a scared look "You said we weren't attacking that convoy." He says while I reach into the truck and pull out a bike helmet to put on his head, tightening the straps for him. 

"This is a different convoy." I chuckle. "So technically I didn't lie." I say patting him on the helmet. It wont help him If he gets shot directly in the head, but it might deflect a near hit. 

He takes a couple deep breaths and places his rifle on the hood of the car. I move to the next vehicle, approaching Mike and Clinton. 

"You ready mike?" I ask the larger man as he pulls his head through the center of the bulletproof vest, adjusting the sides to fit him snuggly. 

"Fuck yeah." He says calmly, checking his rifle for a chambered round. "You ready Clint?" He says over his shoulder. 

"Fuck no nigga I got a broken arm!" Clinton says, making Mike chuckle, Clinton opens the back of the truck and pulls a Uzi out. "Now Im ready." 

I nod and look over at Jacy, she's wrapping Jamie up in a vest and placing a Metal helmet on her head. She's saying what I can only assume to be reassuring things to the scared little girl. I move back to the lead truck, taking a spot next to Liam, placing my rifle on the hood. We watch for a moment as Rick and his group get positioned on the wall and gate, taking cover behind vehicles. We watch as Rick talks to someone over the gate, but we cant see who. 

"Suspense." I chuckle. 

"Please focus." Liam implores, shaking slightly from his nerves. I look at him with some concern. He seems nervous, which is understandable i guess 🤷‍♀️ 

"Hey!" Connor screams swinging his gun around. "They're flanking us!" We swing around and point our weapons at the dirty people sneaking from behind. 

"What are you dirty fucks doing!" I yell, angry by the betrayal. They attempt to surround us but get boxed in by Mike and Clinton, catching their flank. Mike shakes his head no. Theirs only three of them, but we're not planning on letting any of our people get shot. 

"Drop your weapons!" One of them orders, the largest of the bunch, about six three. "You're out gunned." 

Out gunned? Oh....

I turn look over my shoulder, the dirty people are holding the Alexandrians hostage, the people on the gate holding guns to their heads. The gate creeks open, revealing the convoy and those who I assume are the Saviors. The man with the leather jacket yelling som shit I cant hear at rick. 

"Drop it!" The dirty man yells again. 

God damnit 

I feel a jolt of rage spill over inside of me. I spin around and take a step towards the three garbage pale fuckers. 

"Freeze!" The large one screams as all three point their weapons at me. "Dont mo-." He's cut down by Connor before he could finish his sentence, being subjected to a bullet to the face tends to have that effect. Connor kills the other two before they even realize they were being shot at, hitting the other two in the head, dropping them instantly. 

"Whoah!" Liam screams in surprise and Backs himself up into the truck. I pull his head down with me as I get into cover. 

It takes a moment for the dirty bitches to realize what happened, but fuck it was obvious when they realized. Bullets smash through the window, making all four of us put our heads down to hide our eyes from the glass. 

Hmmm this glass seems to bead up when it explodes. That's good to know.

The bullets riddle the car, forcing us to lay flat on our stomachs to avoid the rounds that penetrate through the cars armor. "Dindu!" Connor screams,having me look past Liam to see him. "Use that fucking hand cannon thing!" 

I nod and roll out of cover, firing two massive psionic blasts, making sure I don't hit the massive barricade surrounding the town, instead focusing the blast on a cluster of dirty bitches on the right, holding some Alexandrians hostage and a line on the far end of the wall, bending the top of the barricade over from the force of the concussive blast, shattering the bones of those unfortunate to be hit, even amputating some limbs. 

Good shots, me!

I roll back into cover, bumping into liam slightly. "Imma crawl under!" I inform him before crawling under the front of the truck. 

Shit, I can only see legs, not enough for me to go on. 

"No good!" I yell, crawling backwards and getting into a crouched position, putting the butt of the rifle on my shoulder. "Here I go." I whisper to myself peaking up and raising my weapon. I fire off two shots, hitting one of those dirty fucks in the chest. 

Shit, we're gonna get flanked. 

"Any Ideas Connor?" I scream, making my way past Liam. He nods and points to a nearby house. 

"Im going to kick that door open! I need you to lay down covering fire!" He screams over the noise of battle and I nod in agreement, Its really our only option.

I get into position and switch to full auto on my rifle before nodding to Connor. He holds his hand up, extending three fingers out. 

Three 

Two 

One

I pop out and fire in three round bursts, hitting some of the closer hostiles, the Saviors slowly pouring through the entrance. Looks like the twin's friend managed to get out from under that mans rifle barrel, I spot him sprawled out on the wall, firing upon those dirty little cock lickers in three round bursts. A bullet cracks the hood in front of me, sending shards of metal into my neck. 

"You dick!" I scream firing a three round burst into the woman who did it, the brass slamming into her chest. Her group retaliates with gunfire in my general location, their aim untrue. 

Hmm, all that dirt must be blocking their vision. 

I fire my last three rounds into one of them before ducking back down into cover, I check Connors progress over my shoulder. He's got the door open, standing outside and fireing at the dirty people and the Saviors, Mike and Clinton provide covering fire from behind the truck while Jacy takes Jamie inside the house. 

I replace the spent magazine of my rifle with a fresh one, cocking back the hammer. "We're sitting ducks here, you two need to move to the further trucks." I say to the twins, receiving two nods. I get into position to cover, and when liam taps my back I pop out, furiously firing at all those who oppose us. I fire ten shots and duck back into cover, looking over at the twins hiding behind Mike. I give them a three count before Mike and I pop out of cover, firing at the closest targets to us, hoping to halt their advances.

Mikes gun makes a clicking sound, he crouches back into cover "Out!" He screams over the sound of gunfire. I run out of ammo and switch to my side arm, waiting for mike to switch out his mag. 

"Move!" He sounds out, giving me the signal to move behind him. I fire two more shots before running behind him, he pops out of cover while I holster my glock and switch out my rifle mag. I pat Mike on the leg, he moves and I take his spot at the front of the truck, providing cover fire for him as he moves into the house. I exhaust my ammo and duck down, switching magazines while looking at Connor for directions on what my next move should be. He slams a fresh mag into his rifle before peaking out of the corner, he holds the rifle to his shoulder tight with his trigger hand and signals to me to move up and into the house. I wait for him to start firing before sprinting towards the house, shots cracking behind me as I make my way up the stairs and through the doorway, tapping Connor on the back as I pass him. 

Mikes smashing the front window with the barrel of his rifle when I get in, jabbing the glass at a distance. 

"Dindu, take Mike and secure the back of the house, back door is through the hall." Connor orders, moving to the newly smashed window, firing through it. 

"Got it." 

I keep my weapon raised at the back door and wait for mike to get in position behind me. He pats my shoulder twice, I advance forward keeping my weapon raised. I move out of the way so Mike can reach the handle of the door, pulling it open so I can storm through. 

"Hostiles left side!"

I scream and jump down the stairs, sprawling onto my belly on the street, leaving Mike to fire from the doorway. 

I switch my weapon to single shot and fire at the small group of Saviors at the end of the street, managing to quickly neutralize the two who were in the middle of the street, the other three running away and going around the corner. 

"Contact on your six!" Mike screams, surprising me into rolling onto my back.

Oh my.

"Shiva!" I yell in surprise by the tigers sudden appearance. I jump to my feet and signal for Mike to hold his fire. "Hey Kitty" i greet the tiger, scratching her behind the ear. I look to the end of the street and see Kingdom soldiers (including horse soldiers) pouring in through a opening in the barrier. 

"Eyyyy Kingdom." I scream, waving my hands at the incoming group, lead by Ezekiel.

"Dindu!" He scream, running over to me "It's good to see you, my friend!" He says placing a hand on my shoulder. 

"You too man, sorry I threw my leg at you." I say, earning a chuckle and a tight hug from the king. 

"It's okay, you were right anyways." He says, allowing his character to break for a moment. Shiva sprints off down the street. Ezekiel looks down at me. "Lead the way." He says and extends his arm forward. 

"Tell Connor to hold his fire!" I scream at Mike before taking off with the kingdom.

We sprint down the road, tailed by a army of soldiers, we turn the corner to see shiva mauling one of the Saviors. Ezekiel brands a pistol and screams "End these Saviors and their accomplices!" He fires a couple shots into the hostile crowd. "Alexandria will not fall! Not on this day!"


	10. Spooky ass ghost

I see the area in flashes, a familiar distortion clouding my peripheral vision. I don't remember moving my feet, but I move nonetheless. I pass by unnoticed by the Saviors despite being out in the open. I am detected at times, sending a cold shiver through a woman's spine, or inadvertently picking objects up with the mirage like vortex that moves around me. Electronics malfunction when I am near, lights around me will flicker, and in one case a guards flashlight was drained of its charge, despite fresh batteries being installed just earlier that night. 

The few people who see me rarely see my body, instead noticing the distortion around me, giving me confused gazes and double takes. One man saw a blinding light being emitted from the cracks of a door, which I was on the opposite side of. Some people complain of headaches, nausea, and hallucinations, seeing either shadows or small movements out of the corner of their eyes, that sort of stuff. The more receptive the person, the more vivid the hallucination, one woman was inconsolable as she watched her brother being torn apart for the second time, screaming hysterically and throwing everything she could at the corpses who slowly devoured him, Her vision was ended by my sudden appearance. Naturally that spooked me as well, as I thought I was invisible. she just happened to turn around, and attempted to run. The vision stopped and she realized she was actually in her own bedroom, alone, the only noises emitted were her own sobs and the knocking on the door from her concerned neighbors, who resort to kicking down her door as she was too hysterical to answer. They discover her, alone, sobbing in the corner of her now trashed room. That was a few days ago...... I think.

Tonight I see Negan as he sleeps in his bed, two of his nine wives sleeping peacefully beside him, completely unaware of my presence. I place my hand on the mans head. 

He slowly wakes up, and jumps when his eyes finally focus on me, a terrified gasp being emitted as he crawls on his back away from me, slamming himself into the wooden headrest of his bed. I give off a sinister chuckle before allowing the distortion to overtake me, knocking me back into physical consciousness. 

"Good luck falling back to sleep, you piece of shit." I whisper to myself, finding un concealable joy in terrifying my tormenter. I had tried the same trick on Lenny a few days earlier, but he simply lacked the attention span to address me, instead focusing on nursing his larger injury, a torn Achilles tendon, which happened to be healing at a concerning rate. 

These last few days have been interesting, as I allowed my mind to wonder while in my isolation, my findings unprecedented. Not only am I able to see bits of the pasts of those around me, I'm able to freely roam in non physical form, my area if exploration increases with each hour. However I tend to find more enjoyment in watching the memories of those around me, Eugene for example. I watched Ricks friends get murdered, I didn't know that Eugene was apart of the Alexandrians at some point. But now I do.

I'm still not sure how this new..... power? Sure lets call it that. I'm not sure how this power works, or why it works, all I know is it works. The first time I did it i was skeptical of its reality, thinking I was simply seeing things due to being locked in this room for so long. However, when Negan kicked the door open and attempted to saw my head off using a chainsaw I realized that it was in fact real..... and very fun. 

——————————————

"So, you just mess with people?" Toby asks, washing a plate in his sink, we've gotten quite good at this little telepathy based communication method, and are able to do it without having it impede our.... well, his schedule. I for one haven't been up to much. 

"Yeah, And last night I tried to punch Negan in his sleep, but it ended up being just a light tap." 

"I see, did he react?" 

"He woke up, but that's about it."

"Did you figure out how to give off those hallucinations yet?" 

"Nah, I don't think it's controlled by me, but I can see what they see." 

"You should apologize to that woman." Toby jokes, allowing a small smirk to grow on his face. He looks behind him and notices something I cant see. "Yeah, Ill be out in a minute." 

"Who was that?" 

"Oh that was Carl, Ricks calling a meeting right now." 

"Do they think it's weird that you talk to yourself?" I ask cocking my head in genuine curiosity. 

"Well, my eyes glow blue during these chats of ours, so they usually leave me alone during them." 

"Hmmm your eyes are still brown to me." 

"Well I cant see you so...." 

"So, um, how's everything over there?" 

"Im just kinda keeping to myself, sometimes someone will come check up on me or I'll go out with Fenrir and end up talking to someone, ya know like, polite conversation." 

"You should try making a friend, instead of starring at walls and talking to me all day." I say, not that I mind. In all honesty these little talks are the only thing keeping me sane.

"I will....eventually." He chuckles and places his last plate into a cabinet, exhaling loudly. "I gotta go." 

"Okie dokie, stay safe." 

"Yeah, you too." 

—————————————— 

Negan opens the door with a grin, and a bottle of water with a straw in his hand. He starts humming a happy song and almost dances his way over to me, placing the tip of the straw at my mouth. I glance up at him before he gives a nod, telling me it's alright, I place my lips around the straw and drink. 

Oh thank fuck its water. 

"I bet you're wondering why I'm so giddy today huh? Even with that dumb shit you pulled last night." He says, a modicum of anger still present in his otherwise uncharacteristically cheerful tone. I give him a quick glare and go back to the water, not really interested in anything else. "Well, turns out your blood, is a god damn gold mine." Negan pulls a chair next to me and sets the bottle on it to were I could still drink and he could stand and give his little speech. "One of our guys got bit, and we gave him a shot of your blood, totally healed him, even helped his erectile disfunction." 

I take a moment to process what he said, something about this seems..... familiar. Oh, right.

I let out a quick chuckle "Im not gonna tell you." I say, and he looks at me with confusion.

"Excuse me?" he pulls the chair back, making me glare up at him. "What did you say, young man?" 

"I said I'm not gonna tell you. You'll see the fuckery you unleashed soon enough."

"Are you still making threats?"

God damn his confusion is sooooo sweet to me. Im almost enjoying his presence! "Nope you good, just keep shooting that shit up."

"Right.." he says and puts the chair back to were I can drink from the bottle resting ontop of it. "Enjoy that." He says and leaves the room, making me chuckle. 

Just a matter of time.

——————————————

Ok lets try this again.

I take a deep breath and shrug my shoulders back, trying to extend my arms to the fullest capacity. I feel that familiar static start tickling me in the lower part of my back, slowly making its way up my spine. 

Please work. 

I feel it shoot through my right arm.... and fizzle out. "Fuck!" I yell in frustration, this is the eighth time today that I've tried this, with the same thing happening each time. I will admit, I'm a bit past desperate to get out of this place. I take a deep breath in and close my eyes, reaching out for my friend. 

I feel myself lift up, the physical world melting around me. I've had quite a bit of practice recently, it's nearly effortless to do this now. A blurry image of my contact pops into my brain. 

"Whoa!" He screams in surprise "I'm in the shower!" He uses his hands and legs to try and cover himself up, making me chuckle. 

"It's not like it's nothing I haven't seen before." I kid. In truth he looks ALOT better now then when we first met, alot more healthy. He finally has some meat on his bones....... god damn it I wanna fuck him again, but that can wait.

"That was once! Cmon man can't you come back in like five minutes?"

"Nooooo bitch we got stuff to talk about." I whine, stressing about the whole situation. "Just put a towel on." 

He makes a groaning noise, but complies, reaching around the glass sliding shower door and grabbing the towel off the rack, wrapping it around his waist. He almost slips when he steps out of the shower, but catches himself on the wall, I laugh anyways and receive a embarrassed grin from the boy. "So, I have some good news and some bad news." He says.

"Me too, you wanna go first?" 

"Well, Rick, Ezekiel and Maggie ehhh she's the leader of the Hilltop, they've been working on a plan to wipe out the Saviors, it's pretty simple actually, the attack will take place in two days if all goes according to schedule, maybe even sooner."

"And the bad news?" 

He takes a deep, shakey breath and closes his eyes. "We don't have the firepower to beat the Saviors in a straight up gunfight, So the plan for sanctuary is to surround it with biters, trapping the Saviors inside. But that means we can't save you."

"Oh." I try to keep the disappointment out of my voice, but im sure he could tell. 

"But!" He interrupts my imminent descent into self pity "He also said he has a guy in the inside! He could get you out!" 

"Eugene? Nah, fuck that guy and his stupid cousin fucking haircut." 

Toby shakes his head, spreading water all over the damn place. "Not him, Rick says his name is Dwight." 

If I had a jaw right now it'd be clenched. Dwight is the little half faced cunt who had the zombie bite me a couple days ago. I have zero intention on making friends with him.

"Nah fuck that nigga."

"Wh-why?" Toby asks, pulling on a pair of brief from under his towel. 

"Cuz thats the cunt who held the pole while that zombie bit me! That shit hurt!" I say, the hatred dripping through my voice. 

He gives me a loud sigh and shrugs his shoulders. "You're gonna have to play nice if you want to get outta there." 

I let out a angry groan and Toby gives off a shudder. "S-stop that." He pleads, looking away from the distorted mass infront of him. 

"Sorry, I forget that noise scares you." 

He takes a deep breath to compose himself. "It's alright, you said you had news too?" 

"Yep, and honestly Im not sure if its good or bad." 

"Care to elaborate?" 

"Well..." I struggle to remember what exactly the issue is for a moment. "They took my blood, like a big bag of it, and turns out it cures zombie bites." 

"I um I don't know what that word means." 

"Which one?" 

"Zombies." 

"The corpses? They're called Zombies." Why the fuck does no one know that word!? Is my communicator acting up? Am I speaking Celtic? 

He rolls his eyes "Thats a made up word." 

"No It's not! Check a dictionary." 

"Irrelevant, what were you saying about your blood?" 

"Well, it cures your worlds version of zombification, but in the past it could umm..." fuck, I remember, but I don't know exactly how to explain it. "I guess it umm replaces? I think thats the word. It replaces the virus with something ummm ... worse?" 

"Umm Okay, worse how?" 

"Well, It could go two ways, either the person deteriorates as the virus hijacks their nervous system. Or the person evolves and becomes insanely powerful, odds are that wont happen but...." 

"But It could." 

"Yep." 

"How powerful are we talking?" 

"Stronger then I am, right now at least."

"And if it umm, zombifies? What happens then?" 

"The Zombies I'm used to

are a bit more coordinated then yours, and the virus is spread through biomass spores." 

"Biomass spores?" 

"Meaning the virus could go airborne." 

His shoulders slump, and I see fear in his eyes. "Shit, anyway to avoid it?" 

I shrug my shoulders before realizing I don't have any. "Gas masks maybe?" 

Toby puts his head on the wall and closes his eyes "ho-how long do we have?" 

"Could be two days or could be two weeks, depending on the individual. Hell it could have already started." 

"Fuck..." He sighs in frustration, shaking his hands as if the get the anxiety out. "I have to tell rick, you have to get Dwight to help you escape." 

I let out a groan but don't argue. We say our goodbyes and sign off. I go limp in the chains and let a smile creep up on my face.

I wonder how this will turn out?

——————————————

Im honestly not sure what I'm gonna say. I know what I WANT to say, but I dont think death threats will sway him to release me. I should also refrain from calling him a half fried cunt or any variation of the word cunt. Should I say please? I'll decide in the fly. 

I know where he sleeps, I've seen his past, his life, his wife, Negans favorite. I saw his face get melted off (I rather enjoyed watching that). He may not be as... demented as I initially thought, However he still held that fucking pole whilst that corpses took a bite out of my shoulder, so he's still on my shit list. But... I think it will prove more effective to appeal to his humanity, rather then threaten him with a slow, agonizing death. 

I see him before he sees me, despite being in plain view, the distortion coupled with the darkness of this corner makes me almost invisible. He's just sitting on his bed with the bedside lamp on, staring at a photo of his wife, Sherry, at a place called Niagara falls. He can't hear me approaching, I'm not physically here, technically speaking anyways. The light flickers when I get too close and Dwight notices, flicking the light bulb with his middle finger. 

"The lamps fine." My distorted voice rings out, making Dwight jump and instinctively reached for his gun,the weapon of course wasn't on his side, as he took it of when he entered the room, hanging by the door. "Relax, Im here to talk."

He, of course does not relax and jumps out of bed, barreling towards his weapon. I let out a sigh. 

Well, at least I get to try this on a person. 

I lift my hand, like I would with a psionic blast, but instead the pressure in the room changes, making a mess of the furniture and pushing Dwight against the wall for a few seconds, I haven't gotten the hang of it yet. Luckily thats all it took to knock the wind out of the man, momentarily at least. 

"That didn't look like relaxing." I say, working to suppressing a chuckle while approaching the kneeling man. " I know you're working with Rick." 

He looks up at me with a confused look and cocks his head, chocking out word. "H-how could-." 

"Telepathy." I interrupt the burned man, already knowing his question. "I have a friend who I talk to back at Alexandria, he told me about you." I bend down, looking the man in the eyes, unblinking. "I can see your past ya know." I don't go into details, don't wanna risk angering him and him refusing to help out of spite. 

The man slowly stands up, afraid to make any sudden moves. "What do you want from me?" 

I roll my eyes. And let out a chuckle. As If it's not obvious. 

"Negan, and his mullet having bitch, they took my blood and injected it into some poor sap, completely unaware of what they've done." I take a step closer, getting in the mans face. "Release me, bring me the rest of that blood bag."

"You're guarded twenty four seven, how would I even get to you?" 

I spread my arms and give a annoyed grunt "Do you not see me? I'll deal with the guards, you just need to unlock me, and bring me that bag." 

The man thinks it over to himself, looking at the ground. "How do you expect me to grab the bag without being seen?" 

"My friend told me that the Alexandrians, The kingdom, and the Hilltop are surrounding this place tomorrow, they're gonna use corpses to box you in. Go during the chaos, everyone else will be too busy to care about you."

"So You want me to free you first? And then grab the bag?" The man asks still skeptical. "Wont that raise alarms?" 

"I'll l create chaos for the guards, you can get in and out without anyone noticing." The man tests my patience by questioning the plan again.

Hmmm Ill show him. Fuck subtly.

The distortion on my body expands, engulfing the room, giving the area a shimmering feel. 

I see two bodies, tapped to the dirt in the middle of a burned down garden, shelf with pottery around us. In the center of the bodies is a woman with dirty blond hair holding flowers. The woman kneels down, placing the flowers in between the bodies. Dwights eyes widen suddenly and he reaches his arm forward screaming "Wait!"

Its too late of course, this has already happened, but for him, in the present moment, it feels real. It was especially real, when the corpses rose up and took a bite out of the woman's throat, making her scream in pain, Dwight lets out a gasp. 

That should do it.

I bring the distortion back around my body, snapping Dwight out of his daze as he looks around the room and drops to his knees, gasping for breath. I walk over to him and kneel next to him. "I'll handle the guards...." I whisper with a threatening undertone, daring him to question me again. "Release me, grab the bag, put It on the roof." I go through a quick mental checklist. 

"And bring a sandwich.... ham please."

——————————————

Every single door bursts open at the same time, leaving the the guards, Randy and Leo, a bit more then confused. "Hey!" Leo screams into his walkie talky radio whilst Randy raises his gun, his sights trained at the closest door in the hallway. "Hello? Nicole? You hear me? Something just happened, what should we do?" The man asks, his breathing increasing with his anxiety. 

"Go check it out dipshit." The radio replies though a suspicious amount of static and a loud whine before the message cuts out. 

"Roger, checking it." Leo says through gritted teeth turning and motioning for his partner to follow him. They make their way slowly to the first door leo checking the interior of the cell while Randy focuses on the hall. "Clear" he says and moves away, pointing his weapon to the end of the hallway, slowly moving forward, scanning from door to door. He jumps when he hears a loud bang, looking back to see the cell door closed and his partner missing. 

"Randy?" The man yells, looking around for his missing partner. "Randy are you pranking me again? I told you I'd kick your ass next time!" He yells and bangs on the cell door. 

"Daddy?" The voice of a small child rings out, the man jumps and he turns to aim his rifle down the hall, noticing the face of his daughter peeking out from the second farthest cell, the face of the daughter he had lost years ago. 

"Stacy?" The man exclaims, disbelief apparent in his voice and his weapon falters, lowering towards the ground. 

The girl gives the man a playful laugh and a warm smile. 

"Come play with me Daddy!" The girl cheers and disappears into the cell. 

"Baby?" The man says, dropping his weapon to the floor and jogging forward. "Baby don't go in there." The man says but keeps jogging towards the cell, towards his child's laughter. He rounds the cell door and is greeted by his daughter, sitting at the end of a small round, pink table, just like she did before. Her favorite stuffed animal, Harry the frog sat on her right, and she would always pour his tea first, even before her own. On her left was a Barbie doll, the typical blond one with the blue shoes, one of them missing, forcing the man to make several trips to target and buying a whole new doll just for the inevitable loss of the shoe again. The girl asks the same question she asked countless times before. 

"Will you sit and have lunch with us, Daddy?" The girl asks, her bright green eyes already knowing the answer, after all; it was the same answer every time.

"Of course, pumpkin." The man would say with a kindhearted chuckle, pulling the pink chair opposite his daughter away, choosing instead to sit criss cross. The girl gives a elated smile, leaning over and pouring invisible tea into his small pink cup. The man takes the small cup, making sure to bring the tiny plate up to his chin under it, he takes a long sip of imaginary tea, and is rewarded with a giggle from the girl. "Delicious, thank you baby." 

"You're welcome Daddy."

The girl said in between giggles, pouring another cup of imaginary tea for her father. The man looks around the room, it's different then he remembers, neater, he didn't step on any toys and the girl doesn't have her mothers makeup kit sprawled out in her tiny pink bed, the man takes another sip of the tea, enjoying the taste. "Why'd you have to do it daddy?" 

The question bring confusion into the mans mind, what had he done? "Do what baby?" The man asks, keeping his typical, fatherly cheer about him. The girl gives another giggle, but this ones different, a bit less enthusiastic. 

"Did you forget daddy?" The girl asks, pouring another cup of tea for her father. He gives off another chuckle and waves off the confusion. 

"Thank You Baby." He says again, quickly sipping the imaginary tea, its flavor filled with love. The girl laughs at her fathers gaze, and embraces the warmth it provides. She pours another cup. 

"You promised, right Daddy?" The girl asks, a slight falter in her voice, but he doesn't think much of it.

"Promised what, pumpkin?" The man asks, sucking down the flavorless tea, a grin on his face. 

"That you would protect me from the monsters." The girl replies, a cheerful giggle at the end of the sentence. She pours another drink. The man lets out a hearty laugh, he knows monsters don't exist, but he could never convince her of that, no matter How many nights spent attempting to do so, so eventually he just gave in. 

"Of course, pumpkin." The man laughs and drinks the imaginary tea, the flavor still un noticeable. "No monsters will get you when Im around." He sits back again, looking around the room, when had the wall paper started chipping? 

"But you were around." The girl giggles, almost sounding forced, pouring the man another drink. One he throws the tea back without much care.

"Around for what princess?" The man asks, confusion in his voice, he places the glass down, his daughter quickly refilling it. 

"Around when the monsters got me." The girl states with a monotone voice. The man gives a confused chuckle and downs the drink, placing it on the table with slightly more force then intended. He looks around the room while she poured him another drink. When did her hands get so dirty? 

"You remember, right daddy?" The girl asks, pouring another drink for her father, her protector. "You remember? You promised you would." 

"Remember what?" The man asks and throws the tea past his tongue, the drink burning its way down his throat. When did the room get so dirty? Why are those light flashing outside?

"You promised you would protect me." The girl cries, now out of tea. "You forgot, Daddy!" She screams. 

"Forgot what pumpkin?" The man asks, as he hears a crash from the other side of the closed door, the door with the faded, chipped pink paint. What was that? The man wonders attempting to get up, but failing. Another bang, the door bumping forward, stopped only by the bolt. 

"Daddy." The girl whines, tears in her dull green eyes. "You forgot didn't you?" 

"Forgot?" The man questions and then hiccups. Another bang, and then another, and then one last one as the wood around the bolt breaks and splinters onto the floor, the door breaking into the room. 

"Daddy!" The girl screams through sobs, the man still unsure why. "You promised!" 

In walks the stumbling man, a man he had never seen before, he tries to stand, failing again. The man grabs his daughter by the arm and sinks his teeth into it, the tendon of her forearm snapping as she tears herself away. "Daddy..." The girl screams through the agony "Please!" 

The man tries the get up again, but instead falls on his back, too dizzy to move. He looks at his daughter with tears in her eyes. He doesn't hear the first bang, the one that hit the tall man in the head, splattering his innards all over Stacys messy room, the crimson blood brighter then the pink wallpaper.

In pops a soldier, Leo cant see his face past the blinding light generated by device on the side of the barrel of the rifle pointing in his face. The light changes from his face to his daughters, her blue eyes looking towards her father, her protector, with tears streaming down her bright, pink cheeks. "Daddy?" The girl sobs "did you forget?" 

"No!" The man screams his arms outstretched towards his daughter as the second bang rings out. 

Leo looks around the cell, the concrete cell. He's laying on the concrete floor, a flickering light hanging from the ceiling, he looks back at the closed door behind him. "Stacy!" The man screams, sobbing, his face buried in his cold hands "Im so sorry I forgot, Baby." 

——————————————

"Did you bring the sandwich?" I ask Dwight after he releases me, stretching my arms forward for the first time in days. 

It hurts so good! 

Dwight reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little baggy containing a sandwich. "I even put some veggies in there for ya." He says and passes it to

me, I rip off the plastic and gobble it down. 

"Fuck, thats good." I chuckle, gulping it down. I stretch my arms over my head and lean back, keeping my heels on the ground to bend over backwards, cracking my back in the process. 

Much better. 

"The bag is in a cooler on the roof." Dwight says as I continue my stretches. "Deadheads completely engulfed this place, I don't see how you're gonna get out." 

"I'll fly." I say rolling my eyes and getting back to my feet. 

Hmmm, oh yeah, almost forgot. 

"You should get a gas mask.." I say. "Rubber gloves too." 

He shakes his head in confusion "why?" 

"One of your guys was injected with my blood, I umm recommend finding out who, and burning the body.." I say while moving to the door, "And ya know... be quick about it." 

I give him a half, by the hip wave and open the door jogging down the hallway and picking up Leos rifle next to the first cell door. 

It didn't take long to find the stair case leading to the roof, I had ascended it countless times in the last few days, just passing time, biding time. This time however took a bit longer then usual. A bottle of water, and a ham sandwich being my only nutritional sources in the last.... Actually I'm not sure how long its been. 

A man slams into me from behind knocking me to the floor. I roll onto my back and parry the mans punch, his fist landing on the ground next to my head. I keep one foot on the mans hips and bring my knee up, placing it on the mans forearm and rolling into it, toppling the man over and onto his back. I sit on his chest, my legs on both sides of him as I rain down my assault, a mixture of elbows and punches. I fracture the mans orbital, his eye swelling shut as he takes a massive amount of brain damage. I get to my feet and slam my metal foot down onto his throat, snapping one of the vertebrae. Suddenly I feel something extend from my lower back, snaking out from under my shirt. 

My tendrils are working! 

The tendrils attach to the man under me, gobbling the man up as he gives a quick scream through the agony. I suddenly feel much more energized, having consumed the man. I feel my eyes glow hot, however Im simply just not in the mood to stay and fight. 

I continue my way up to the roof, avoiding confitration. Eventually I make it and bursts through the roof access door. 

"Ahhh...." I moan when the sun hits me, allowing me to soak up that sweet sweet radiation for the first time in days. If feels almost like being able to drink a ice cold glass of water on a hot day. I hear something rustle from behind me and I swing around, weapon raised. 

"Fenrir?" I say lowering my weapon and approaching my canine companion, enveloping him in a hug. "How the fuck did you even get here?" Of course I don't get a answer. I untangle my arms from around the wolf and grab the small blue ice chest next to him by the handle, managing to get a glimpse of the horde over the edge. 

Fuck, thats a lot of zombies. How the fuck am I.... I mean are we gonna get out of here? 

I look over my shoulder at my wolf, he seems unfazed by the massive horde surrounding us. "Any Ideas boy?" I ask the wolf. A familiar distortion radiates around him, his tail starts wagging. 

"Fenrir?" 

The dog bullets forward at a incomprehensible speed, launching himself over the edge of the sanctuary. "Fenrir what the fuck!" I scream before noticing the canine being carried, the distortion trailing him closely. He lands with a soft 'dud' in the forest across from the sanctuary, the corpses unaware of him. He looks back at me, his tail wagging. 

He wants me to follow him doesn't he. 

I shrug my shoulders and take a few steps backwards, letting the distortion ooze out of me before sprinting foward and leaping over the edge, my arms and legs following my head. The distortion catches the air, acting like a glider suit, allowing me to quickly make my way towards my canine friend. I land feet first, rolling with the moment before coming to a stop next to my dog. I shoot him a astonished look, one he seems uninterested in, instead looking towards a ball of distortion in front of us. He strides forward into the ball, disappearing into it. I shrug my shoulders and follow suit, un sure of what lies on the other-side. 

——————————————-end


	11. Reunion

> The distortion fizzles around me as I step through the portal, light dancing through the ball as I tread to the other side. My eyes focus on my surrounds as I look around blinking.
> 
> "Yeah bitch!" I scream and throw my hands up when I recognize my surroundings, realizing I was now in Alexandria. I do a celebratory cartwheel and a victory screech (you sponge bob fans know the one). "Fuck, I need some water." I whisper to myself and walk towards the nearest house, a white two story one, checking to see if the door was locked. I opened it when I realized it wasn't, walked straight to the kitchen and turned on the sink. I immediately started gulping down water, apparently pretty loudly too. 
> 
> Carl turns bolts down from the staircase, his pistol raised and aimed at me. He lowers it when he recognizes me. "Hey!.." He says with a excited smile, reholstering his pistol. "When did you get here?" 
> 
> I raise my finger as I continue to gulp down water from his sink, asking him to give me a moment. Fuck this water is good! Hydration is underrated!
> 
> I stop drinking and gasp for breath looking at Carl for a second before going back under the sink, earning a concerned head tilt from the boy. "Okay..." I say, finally getting my fill of water "So these niggas had me all tied up right? And Negan came in with his chest puffed out talking about 'ahhhh we gotta keep you alive or some shit IletmywifedieLMAO'..." 
> 
> I pace back and forth as I tell
> 
> my story, manipulating my voice to talk as characters. "And so your pal Eugene came in with his stupid hair, and he asked me questions and I had to talk to his stupid face and I told him I was Afrikan and he got scared and ran outta the room." I look at the boy in his uncomfortable eyes...er eye. "That nigga is catching extra hands, I don't care if he was your friend." 
> 
> "He's not my friend." Carl states matter if factly. You could almost read his mood by how blue his eyes are at any one moment. Right now he look annoyed at the mere mention of the weird not a scientist's name. "Do what you want to him."
> 
> I clear my throat before continuing my story. "I made the mistake of telling that pussy repellent that I don't get sick, and he had me bit by one of those Zombies. Took a bite right outta my shoulder! And then Negan took a bag of my blood saying he was gonna milk me or some shit like that, and ummm that shit hurt like a bitch I started foaming at the mouth, uhh speaking of." I run back to his sink to gulp up more water, letting it run down my chin. 
> 
> Fuck, water feels good. I can almost feel my internal temperature cooling with each gulp. I decide it's a good idea to run my head under the sink for a moment, getting my shoulder length hair wet for the first time in .... actually im not sure how long it's been.
> 
> "Hey man, can I use your shower?" I ask, enjoying the moisture on my skin.
> 
> "Shouldn't you let your friends know you're here first?" The boy says with a sideways glance, earning a grunt from me. 
> 
> I throw my hands up and yell "I guess!!!" Before I place the Ice chest on his kitchen counter and stretch my arms. "I don't know where they live." 
> 
> I couldn't help but find it adorable when he chuckled. It wasn't really a sexual thing, more like a puppy. Well, maybe not like a puppy? If I saw a puppy chuckle I'd probably punt it. 
> 
> "I'll show you." He says, his blue eyes making contact with mine for a split second before I look away. "Just let me get my sister first." 
> 
> He walks down the hall and I follow him. "I didn't know you had a sister." I say, trying to make conversation. He nods and opens a door, revealing a toddler in a crib. Carl greets the child and picks her up, holding her close to his chest. 
> 
> "Judith, this is Deedee." He says bouncing the in...... the fuck did he just call me? 
> 
> "Whom the fu.. fudge is Deedee?" I ask the boy giving him a wide eyed glare. He laughs at me and spins the infant around, earning a giggle from the girl. 
> 
> "I don't think she can say Dindu." the boy says while playing with his sister "So you're Deedee now, you don't mind do you?" 
> 
> I was about to protest when the little girl said " Deedee."In the most adorable way, making me say "awwwww." 
> 
> "I guess its ok."I say and shrug my shoulders. "So, my friends?" 
> 
> "Right, follow me." 
> 
> ——————————————
> 
> "Holy shit! You actually did it!" Toby exclaims after opening his front door, throwing his arms around my shoulders tightly before abruptly letting go. "When did you get here?"
> 
> Honestly I wasn't expecting a hug, and felt my body stiffen at his touch."Recently." I say and shrug looking at the inside of his plain house, completely void of furniture, pretty clean though. 
> 
> He catches me checking out his house. 
> 
> "You guys wanna come in?" He asks, opening his door up to us.
> 
> "Actually..." I say, moving my hips in a little dance. "Can you come out here? I wanna soak up the sunlight." 
> 
> He gives me a confused glance before his eyes light up with realization. "Oh yeah, I forgot you use photosynthesis." He says and follows me and Carl out into the middle of the street. U lay down in the middle of the street while Toby sits cross legged next to me.
> 
> "Don't you think we should tell the twins? And that girl and her dad?" Carl says standing next to us. I let out a groan, but heh probably should. I get to my feet along with Toby.
> 
> "Lead the way pirate." I joke, but receive a one eyed glare, I don't think he liked that. "Oh my god it was a joke." I groan and roll my eyes at the boy, he ignores me and leads the way, Toby and I trailing behind him. 
> 
> He knocks on a door and a voice on the other side yells "Felix get the fucking door!" 
> 
> Thats Jacy. 
> 
> I hear a angry yell but can't make out what was said. The deadbolt on the tumbler open and a single green eye peaks through the crack of the door. The boy opens the door with a friendly smile. "Ohhh, you're okay!" The voice exclaims through a happy tone. 
> 
> Felix? No, he's too friendly. thats Liam. 
> 
> "Hi Liam." I chuckle and give a by the hip wave. The boy gives me a friendly grin and opens the door, motioning me to come inside. I wanna stay out in the sunlight, but I should probably see how everyone is doing. 
> 
> I walk inside the noisey house, looking around, it's plain like Carl and Tobys, no furniture. Power works though and it's pretty clean. I turn a corner and see a group of people crowded around a table, playing some sort of game with a ball and a net. 
> 
> "Hey!.." Jacy yells happily when she sees me round the corner, dropping her paddle onto the table and wrapping her arms around my shoulders in a tight hug "I knew you would come back." She lets me go so others could send their greetings.
> 
> "Yo!" Clinton yells from the other side of the table, a sling around his neck, holding his broken arm. I say, "hello" and wave at him. Felix didn't say anything, but gives me a friendly smile and a nod, one I return. 
> 
> "He'll never say it..." Liam whispers in my ear, "But he was super worried about you." I chuckle in response and continue my grin at Felix. "Be nice Felix, he just got back." 
> 
> Felix rolls his eyes but walks over to me, giving me a quick, one armed hug around the shoulder, catching me off guard. "Wanna play ping pong?" He asks.
> 
> "Ping pong?" 
> 
> ——————————————
> 
> "I hope you don't expect me to go easy on you." Felix taunts, a competitive gaze fixated on me. It's almost as if he thinks he can actually beat me! How cute...
> 
> "Do your worst, Felix, It wont save you." I laugh, spinning the paddle in my hand. "Go ahead!" 
> 
> He throws his head back in a sinister laugh, throwing the small white ball into the air and smacking it with his paddle. It ricocheted off the table and towards my chest, allowing me to deflect it with my paddle. He retaliates with a back hand and I send one of my own with the same. Out little battle sustains itself for thirty seconds before I catch the ball with the rim of the paddle, smacking the ball down onto the floor instead of my opponents side of the table, and I let out a shrill gasp when I realize what that means. 
> 
> "Ahahaha!" Felix laughs, throwing his head back and pointing at me with his paddle. "Fool! Did you really think you could defeat me in the ancient Chinese game of ping pong?" 
> 
> My eyes narrow on the laughing boy as I pick up the ball, holding in my palm as I prepare to serve. Throwing the ball into the air and lightly striking it with the paddle, igniting the volley. 
> 
> He wont be expecting this! 
> 
> I allow the distortion to gradually cloud around me as we play. I smack the ball, bouncing it on his side of the table, then when he goes for a strike I lightly blast the ball with the distortion, making him miss and launching the ball into his forhead, making a soft impact sound when it connects. The ball clatters to the ground as he prosesses what just happened. 
> 
> "Ahahaha!" Jacy laughs hysterically, inciting the rest of the group to follow suite. "You should see the look on your stupid face!" Jacy screams, rocking back and forth on the floor. 
> 
> Felix continues his wide eyed, confused stare at me before blinking and narrowing his eyes. "Hey! No force powers!" He yells with a angry stare, putting his hands on his hips. 
> 
> "No what?" 
> 
> "Force powers." He repeats himself rolling his eyes. "You know? From star wars?" 
> 
> "Whats that?" I ask and literally everyone (except the baby and Toby) gasp out loud. 
> 
> "Oh hell no." Clinton says, scrambling up from the ground and making his way outside, proceeding to walk down the street. I give a confused look around the group. 
> 
> "He's a alien." Toby reminds the group. 
> 
> "Thats no excuse!" Felix yells, continuing his gaze. He takes a deep breath before continuing. "I figured out what you are." 
> 
> I cock my head curiously to
> 
> The side. "What?" 
> 
> His piercing green eyes narrow on me."You're...." a smile creeps onto his face as he takes a dramatic pause "A Jedi!" 
> 
> "A jedi?" 
> 
> "Yep, Liam and I even made a list of reasons." He says and motions for his brother to do something. Liam reaches into his back pocket at pulls out a pad of paper. "Oh yeah Toby helped too." I glance over my shoulder at Toby, who gives me a shy giggle. 
> 
> "They kept bugging me about you, so I gave in." He says as we all sit in a circle. Him sitting on my right and a very excited Felix on my left. 
> 
> "Ok..." the blond boy starts after taking the pad of paper from his twin. "I know you have 'force push' and you can levitate, but I heard you can create ghosts, is that true?" 
> 
> I shrug my shoulders "I guess in a way you can call it a ghost, but im not sure how accurate that is." 
> 
> "Well what would you call it?" Liam asks, peaking from around his brother. 
> 
> "Hmmm altered counciousness." I say with a shrug, actually never put any thought into a name till now. 
> 
> "Mike told me you can shoot lighting?" Jacy asks, speaking up for the first time in a while. Felix's eyes widen. 
> 
> "You can shoot lightning!?" He asks, diverting my attention to him. 
> 
> "Yeah, why?" 
> 
> ——————————————
> 
> "This is a bad Idea." Carl says while standing next to me on the top of the wall. I shrug my shoulders and giggle. 
> 
> "Probably." I agree with him as I step over the wall, and jump into the dead side of the barricade. The Zombies picking up on my movement as I lead them away from the wall. 
> 
> "Just do your thing and come back!" Carl yells at me and I give him a thumbs up, skipping farther away from the barricade. 
> 
> "Come on you decaying fucks! follow me!" I yell at the corpses and skip happily down the street. 
> 
> Movement and sunlight! I couldn't be happier. 
> 
> I take in a deep breath and feel the static tickle my lower back, quickly shooting up my spine as I perform a happy dance, swinging my hips from side to side. The static shoots into my arms and I continue to allow it to expand, as my shirt starts shaking from the static. I let out my breath and target the nearest corpses, a tall man followed by two females. I extended my arm in the direction of the man and allow the static to run down my arm, balling up in my palm. A massive blast of energy shoots through my palm for a millisecond, followed by that familiar red bold of electricity that cut through the corpses, jumping from body to body and splattering limbs about. When I did this on lenny it was focused entirely on him, didn't jump about, and I was deaf at the time. Now I realize just how loud my lightning is, my ears are ringing but I can still
> 
> Hear the echo a good five seconds after launching the attack. 
> 
> "Hooray!" I yell out, looking at my vibrating hand and the damage it did. I begin charging static through my spine again and making my way to another cluster of corpses. "Kyah!" I scream, extending both arms out this time. I expected the electricity to be split between the two launch points, instead the same amount of force came out of both hands making me stumble back as shockwaves expand from each corpse the electricity comes into contact with, the initial shockwave being powerful enough to rock the Alexandria barricade, nearly knocking my friends to the ground. It feels... different then it did in the last Dimension I visited, a bit more tiresome in fact. But fuck, if it isn't fun!
> 
> "Ok That should do it!" Liam yells as his brother laughs, fixing the hair that was misplaced by The shockwaves. I flash a thumbs up and start making my way back to the safe zone. 
> 
> I break into a sprint, the distortion trailing behind me as I move at a inhuman speed, when Im close enough I jump and use the distortion to propel myself up and forward, narrowly avoiding the top of the metal barricade as I jump over the border landing in the street on the other side. 
> 
> "Whoah." I whisper to myself as I come to a stop, looking over my shoulder at the barricade I just cleared. "Did you guys see that!" 
> 
> "Are you stupid!?" Carl yells at me while climbing down the ladder, catching me off guard by his sudden aggression. "Do you know how many walkers thats gonna attract?" He screams at me. I glance up at my friends in confusion, little Judith being held by Jacy, covering her ears. "Hey!" Carl screams at me, snapping me out of my gaze as I stare at him instead. 
> 
> "Hmmm?" I question the angry looking boy as he glares at me. "Sorry I wasn't paying attention." 
> 
> "You think this is funny?" The boy says through gritted teeth, standing close to me...... hmmm perhaps a bit too close. 
> 
> "What are you doing?" I ask the boy as I feel my temper rise, I don't back away, but neither does he. Fortunately (for him) the boy takes a deep breath and calms himself.
> 
> "Look.." He starts, calming his gave to one with less hostility. "I know you think your...'powers' make you invincible. But they wont help the people you care about." 
> 
> "Whatcha mean?" I ask, still on guard incase he does anything dumb. If they help me they help those around me right?
> 
> "I mean, you need to have discipline." The boy takes a deep breath before continuing. "You need to control yourself, I know how difficult it can be to do that sometimes, but if you don't, someone could get hurt, or killed. And trust me, nothing is worse then that." 
> 
> "Hmm its not really like that for me." I say, allowing myself to open up for a moment. "I mean Im scared of losing people, but once their gone I don't really feel anything." I look up at the boy who's gaze softens "Thats how it's always been." 
> 
> The boy looks like he wants to say something, but cant find the words to express himself. I give him a little giggle and walk by him, staring at my friends on the wall. 
> 
> "Did you guys like the show?" I ask the group and Felix looks down at me, a confused look on his face.
> 
> "What!?"


	12. Red Lightning

"I think you should stay..." Toby pleads for the second time this morning "You just got back, dont you think you should rest?" 

"Why? So I could get complacent and teleport to .... fuckland or where ever?" I retort, pulling the vest over my torso and adjusting it to be snug against my body. "Besides, I get to learn how to drive today." 

Mike and Connor had come back from assisting Rick, Ezekiel, and the Hilltop in their assualt on the Saviors today, Connor took some damage and will be staying to guard Alexandria whilst Mike and I journey back to Forest Park to re-obtain the supplies we had left behind when we made the move to Here. Mike had offered to give me a driving lesson in return for my accompanying him. For some reason Toby was adamant that I should stay here, saying that I "Just got back."

"I was tied up for weeks." I argue with my friend, reluctant to allow me to leave. "I need to move around Toby, sorry not sorry." 

Toby groans at my stubbornness. "What If we need you here!" He retorts crossing his arms at his chest. "If the Saviors counter us, or if we underestimated them and they beat the Kingdom and the Hilltop? You would be our last line of defense." 

"Connors gonna be here." I point out, placing ammo clips in the pouches of my vest, checking each clip to make sure they are at capacity. "And that Carl kid looks like he would fight if he has to." 

"Carl isn't here." Toby says while glaring at me as I sit in the ground and stuff my pockets. "He didn't listen to me either." 

"Where did he go?" I ask, hoping to bring his focus onto carl and off of me. 

"He didn't tell me, just asked me to watch Judith." He says and sits down next to me, placing his head on my shoulder. "I got a bad feeling about today." 

"That's understandable." I say, resting my cheek against the top of his head, his brown hair tickling the skin on my neck. "Were at war, a bit of anxiety is normal." 

"Its not like that." He mumbles lowly. "I umm." 

"You what?" 

"You're gonna think im crazy." 

I let out a little laugh, Ive been to different dimensions, I can see other people's pasts and I can conjure fucking lightning! What are the odds of Toby saying something I could find outlandish? "You forget who you're talking to?" 

He lets out a small, nervous giggle and takes deep breath.

"I umm." He starts, a nervous reverberation present in his voice. "I can... kinda see the future." 

I take a moment to process this, he could just be trying to keep me here by making shit up? 

"You're fucking crazy." 

He lets out a loud laugh and pushes my shoulder "Fuck you haha." He places his head on my shoulder again and takes a deep breath. 

Hmmm, he seems pretty upset. 

"I can have Fenrir stay with you if you want." 

He takes a moment to think about it before rubbing his face on my shoulder in a nodding motion. I smile and rest my head on his again, enjoying to body heat. There was a knock on the door and I get up to see who it is. 

"You ready?" Mike asks when I open the door, his vest nearly identical to mine. I nod and say my goodbyes to Toby, giving a tight hug before making my way out to the truck and taking a seat in the drivers seat, placing my rifle in the back. 

"Alright.." Mike says while putting his seat belt on "the first thing you wanna do is start the truck." 

No fucking problem! I stick the key in the ignition and turn that bitch! The truck starts up, dashboard lighting up. 

"Good, now you wanna take off the parking break." He suggests pointing at the thing by my left shin while he holds onto the handle above him. I lean down and pull the lever until i hear a popping sound. 

"Alright now with your foot on the break, shift into drive." 

"Which ones the break?" 

"The left one." 

I follow his instructions and shift the truck into drive with my foot on the break, giving a excited giggle when I do it. 

"Okay, hold on." He rolls down his window and gives the signal to open the gate, liam pushing it open whilst Felix and Connor stand on the top of the barricade, waving down at us. I wave back as Liam opens the gate. "Alright, now gently put pressure on the right pedal." 

FUCK THAT! 

I push the petal to the metal and burst forward, leaving a trail of smoke behind us as we accelerate through the gate, dodging the few corpses in the road while mike screams at me to "slow the fuck down" and how he's "gonna die in this fucking car".

He had calmed down a bit since then, but refuses to talk or even look at me, instead choosing to give a death stare straight ahead while I happily hum and tap my fingers on the steering wheel. 

Hmmmm, you know what this road trip needs? A song! Unfortunately, this trucks radio is busted, so Imma have to make do with my own voice. 

I clear my throat before taking a deep breath and singing a song relevant to the times.

"Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken and the violence, caused such silence who are we mistaken?"

I begin rhythm drumming on the steering wheel, moving my head from side to side as I sing. 

"But you see, it's not me

It's not my family

In your head, in your head, they are fighting

With their tanks, and their bombs

And their bombs, and their guns

In your head, in your head they are crying." 

My voice changes into a falsetto, one that surprises Mike as he looks over at me, surprise on his face.

"In your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie

What's in your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie, oh!" 

Du, du, du, du

Du, du, du, du

Du, du, du, du

Du, du, du, du

You think Im gonna stop at the first verse? bitch you must be shitting!

"Another mother's breaking

Heart is taking over

When the violence causes silence

We must be mistaken

It's the same old theme

Since nineteen-sixteen

In your head, in your head, they're still fighting

With their tanks, and their bombs

And their bombs, and their guns

In your head, in your head, they are dying

In your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie

What's in your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie ohhhhhhhhhhh!" 

I finish my song and look over at mike with a grin on my face, enjoying the look he's giving me. 

Just as I expected, serenaded. 

"Bet you didn't see that coming." 

I know I can fucking sing, hell I can change my voice to sound like anyone I want to, even use two voices at the same time. Sure my normal, natural voice is a bit odd but I can change that at a moments notice, just don't wanna. 

"You coulda been a singer." Mike compliments "I mean if the world didn't go to shit." 

"I could still be a singer." 

"I did a rap song once." Mike says with a nostalgic laugh "it was a soulja boy diss track." 

"What did he do?" 

"Nothing I was uhh training chris brown for a boxing match, soulja boy was his opponent." 

"People used to box military personnel?" 

Mike lets out a laugh and claps his hands "ahaha no no, I keep forgetting you ain't from here. Soulja boy was a stage name, he was a singer." 

"Ohhhh I see. Who won the fight?" 

"No one, chris pulled out of the fight." 

"Bitch move." 

Mike lets out a small chuckle. "Heh thats what I told him."

——————————————

Im not sure why the truck is making a sputtering noise, but it is. I point it out to mike and he looks at the display in front of me. 

"Son of a bitch" he growled "its outta gas." 

"What does that mean?" I ask, cocking my head to the side in confusion. 

"Means we gotta walk back home." 

"Oh." I say and pull over to the side of the road, bringing the truck to a abrupt stop and grabbing my rifle from the back seat before we get out of the truck. 

Mike gets out of the car and kicks the wheel "stupid truck!" He screams, continuing to kick the wheel. 

"That'll teach it." I say with a chuckle, scanning the area for corpses, a surprisingly few amount are within visual distance, but I know there's probably more in the forest, obscured by vegetation. We begin our walk back, making idle chit chat, I take mental notes on the history of this planet as well as mikes personal backstory. 

"And thats how I became a voice actor." 

"The prioritizes of your government seem a bit misplaced." I admit after he told me about his cartoon 'Mike Tysons Mysteries', a show starring him, a retired boxer. 

"The government wasn't really involved in the show." He says with that hint of nostalgia in his voice. "It was just a bullshit show, I mean it was just for jokes ya know?" 

"Nope.." I admit "The two worlds I went to lacked of ummm, what are they called? Cartoons?" 

"Yeah, cartoons." 

"I mean, they were a part of the past, I'd see posters and stuff, but never the actual thing." 

"What do you mean?" 

"This is the first generation of the apocalypse right? Where Im from the 'Apocalypse' was just called life, the world had already ended before anyone I'd met was even born." 

Hmmmm, now that I think about it there might've been a few exceptions. 

"What do you remember about those worlds? Im guessing that song you sang earlier was from one of em?" 

"Ya know, I actually don't remember hearing the song, I just sang and thats what came out." 

He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a loud, animalistic screech originating from somewhere in the forest. 

"Oh no." I say with a shaking voice, recognizing the sound. Looks like Dwight never found the guy who got injected. I push my finger to my lips, asking mike to be quiet. He complies and follows me to the edge of the road, weapons pointing into the forest. 

The groans and moans continue, human for the most part but with an agonized undertone. There's definitely movement, but I cant see what's causing it. 

Switching to thermal. 

The forest lights up with red pulsating on the forest floor, some humanoid movements in the background, barely visible through the brush. Shit, they're infected, spreading fast, I thought sanctuary was to the south more? This is the complete opposite direction. 

"Move slow." I whisper to mike and back away from the forest, carful not to step on anything that could give away my position. 

Slowly 

Slowly

Slowly

Aaaannnnddd Im bored. 

"Kill em all!" I scream and charge into the forest, leaving mike screaming behind me. 

"You stupid motha fucker!" He yells and I tell him not to follow me. 

"I knew it!" I yell as I stumble upon the first group evolved corpses, their movements significantly quicker than the zombies that this world is used to. I fire three rounds into the head of the nearest corpse, splattering its head open as his friends sprint after me. 

Unlike the natural zombies this world provides, these ones are actually dangerous. 

"Bring it on!!!" I scream and fire at the advancing evolved, using the trees to my advantage by forcing them to bunch up and follow me, allowing me to fire at them without too much difficulty in changing targets. 

The rifle clicks as I pull the trigger, alerting me that Im out of ammo. I lift my arm and fire a quick psionic blast, sending the closer evolved flying back into the forest and staggering the rest, allowing me time to reload and sprint out of the forest. 

"Get ready mike!" 

"God damnit kid!" 

He raises his rifle and fires at the corpses who follow me out, I charge up my psionic blast As i sprint toward him in a diagonal motion, allowing him to shoot the targets behind me. 

He's uhhh.... he's having some trouble. 

"You gotta HIT them Mike! Shooting around them doesn't do anything!" I yell as I turn, firing a massive psionic blast at the corpses that follow me, cutting them down and blasting a hole in the forest. 

"They're fast." Mike says as I reload my rifle, jogging away from the forest with him. "What the fuck were those things?" 

"They're mutated corpses, much faster and more coordinated then you're used too." I look behind me to make sure were in the clear, we are, for now. "Those are brand new, havnt had time to mutate yet." 

"You know about them?" 

"I should hope so, I created them....in a manner of speaking." 

"What do you mean?" 

"When I was being held captive, negan took a bag of my blood and injected some of it into a guy, He must've been around here when he changed." 

"Changed? Changed how?" 

"You really want me to.... god damnit." I spot the flock of birds above us, glowing red veins from the virus clue me in to whats about to happen. I charge up my psionic blast, hoping I have enough time to reach critical levels. "Birds! Run!" 

We take off in a sprint down the road, interchangeably stopping to Fire at the corpses that follow, two round bursts to conserve ammo. 

The birds see us, and begin circling overhead, tracking our movements. I feel the static in me sizzle as my eyes burn with anticipation, waiting for the birds to make their move. 

The first bird makes a move and I almost jump the gun, but I wait. The rest of the birds funnel in behind the lead, a distortion trailing them, propelling them forward at a blinding speed. I lift both my hands up and fire off my blast, the red Lightning jumping from target to target as shockwaves rock the forest. 

"It worked!" I scream, a little surprised. It was fifty fifty, could have just as easily not worked. "Lets move!" 

—————————————— 

"Why the fuck did you just charge in there like that?" Mike screams at me, shoving me with one hand and making me stumble back. 

I shrug and smile, giggling out the word "Impulse." He doesn't seem pleased by my answer, shoving me again, a bit harder this time. "Why are you doing that?" 

"Impulse." He retorts and my blood boils a bit. 

"You don't regenerate, you shouldn't go by Impulse." I reply with gritted teeth, my voice adopting a subhuman under tone. 

"You didn't think about me when you brought those things from the forest!" He yells again, standing close to me. "You just ran in without thinking!" 

"Bitch,did you die?!" I yell back, holding my ground. "They didn't get anywhere near you! Don't be such a pussy!" 

He shoves me to the ground,

Leaving me glaring back, my eyes narrowed on the larger man. I jump to my feet and throw a punch at him, hitting nothing but air as he dodges to my outside. I turn and face him, my hands up. He unravels the rifle strap around his shoulder and leans his gun on a tree, putting his hands up in a tight, peekaboo style stance. 

"Bring it!" I scream and advance quickly towards him, he advances, challenging my ferocity.

It's a strange feeling when you throw a punch, expecting to hit something but end up just swinging at air. Thats what I did, he moved his head of of the way and countered with a upper cut from under my extended arm. I dance away from his range, but he's persistent, chasing me down quickly. 

Maybe I shouldn't box the boxer. 

I throw a jab, one I know he'll block, allowing me to throw a liver kick, my shin connecting right under his rib cage. He lets out a audible groan but I think it mostly just pissed him of. I try to throw a stiff straight but he counters and hits me with a barrage of body shots, If i felt pain Id be fucked. I retaliate with a elbow over his eye, splitting it open. 

"Enjoy that eyebrow cut bitch!" I scream and charge at him, kicking his legs to fuck with his balance. He throws a lead straight and I move around it, kicking his feet out from under him. He falls to the ground but scrambles back up before I can do anything. He sticks his tongue out at me and I charge forward. He slips under my punch again, connecting a massive hook that threatens to knock me down. 

Fuck, he's a much better boxer then me. 

"Ok, no more games." I say adjusting my stance to a side ways style. "I was playing by your rules, now you have to play by mine." 

Ironically, his biggest advantage is also his biggest weakness. He has a massive frame, extremely strong, his short muscular arms mixed with his aggressive, fluid style make him a powerful puncher. However, I have no intention of trading shots with him after what just happened. My arms are longer, and I have more weapons them he does. Ill keep him at a distance and target his legs and body, then when he's not expecting it Ill go for the head! I have to dial back my aggression and replace it with concentration. 

I begin jumping up and down on my toes, keeping my stance malleable to allow a wide range of attacks from a multitude of angles. He keeps his aggressive head low hands high, peekaboo stance. 

He moves foward and I move sideways, metal right leg infront like in fencing. When he's close enough and advancing I use a variety of Savate style oblique kicks, targeting his knee and the joints around it, making him stumble and fuck with his balance, keeping his ability to advance at a minimum. 

"Come on bitch!" I scream to get him aggressive again, I jump forward and bait his jab, however he expects this, so when I slip his jab and throw a right straight to counter, he slips my fucking counter! And performs a D'Amato shift, moving his body out of my centerline and countering with a massive hook to my body followed by a near miss to my head. I dance out of range again and adjust my strategy. 

You know what? Im throwing punches out the window. 

I keep my hands up, however I have no intention of using them offensively. I move in again attacking the legs, he shifts his stance and I shoot my lead hand out in a faint, his hands move up, exposing his body, my shin connects right on his liver! 

Now I got you! 

I keep performing round kicks and side kicks, switching from his legs and his body. I watch his movements to see his reactions and notice his shoulders dropping a little everytime I Bring my knee up to perform a side kick. I feel a smirk grow on my face and I purposely telegraph my next kick. He catches it with both hands and pulls me towards him, I jump closer to him on my one leg and place my palm on the ground, performing a capoeira style kick, swinging my leg to the outside and connecting my heel with his jaw, dropping the man to his back. I get up and move around his kicking legs, placing my knee on his stomach. 

One punch! 

Two! 

He's out!

"I win." I chuckle at the unconscious man. 

—————————————— 

"Hows your concussion doing?" I laugh, swinging my hips with pride as we walk on the dirt path between the road and the forest. It was dark now, impeding Mikes already blurred vision, but mine is completely unaffected, hell I can even see color. 

"You beat up a fifty five year old retired boxer, congratulations." He pouts 

"And you lost to a nine year old demigod, congratulations." 

"Yo-you're nine!?" Mike asks, his bitterness replaced by genuine surprise, I shrug my shoulders. 

"Give or take a couple years, I was born in this body, so carbon dating wont work on me." I give a honest response. "I dont age fast or anything, I was born in this body, and it hasn't changed since birth, so biologically speaking I don't age at all." 

"Well congratulations, you can never get into strip joints." He says and rolls his eyes, still bitter about his defeat a couple hours earlier. 

We walk in silence a bit longer before we see approaching lights, making us run to cover to avoid the massive convoy. 

"Those our savior trucks." Mike whispers and I tense up, feelings of rage pulse through me and I almost run to attack the convoy when Mike places his hand on my shoulder, asking me to stay. 

"They're coming from Alexandrias direction, we should go see if everyone is alright." I grit my teeth and give a low growl, but agree. 

We jog the rest of the way home, shooting our way through what ever corpses had the miss fortune of being in our war path. And then we saw it, Alexandria, covered in smoke and flames. 

I let out a enraged roar, one That shook the ground beneath my feet. However I wasn't prepared for when I heard a similar scream challenge mine, one that came out of the burning ruins of my new home. 

"He's here." I whisper to myself and Mike looks at me in confusion. "Lenny." I clarify and Mike still looks confused. "That big motherfucker." Mike nods in realization. 

"There's a drainage system under the town, if their are survivors, thats were they'll be." Mike says and I look to the town with growing anxiety. He snaps his fingers to get my attention, "Hey! Lets go." He says and I take a deep breath. 

We move quickly and quietly into the town, scanning our sectors for any signs of the Saviors while Mike leads us to a specific sewer cover. "Cover me while I lift this." He orders and I obey looking for any signs of that big brutish bitch. Mike struggles to lift the manhole, but manages to do it, sliding the lid over the concrete ground before climbing through the opening. I grab the lid and drag it back into place as I descend down the ladder. 

The massive pipe was well light in some places, lantern hanging from the walls as people either lay down or curl up against the wall, not bothering to acknowledge me and Mike, until Toby spots us. 

"Dindu..." Toby says my name as he runs towards me, throwing his arms around me and pulling me with him. "Come quick, Carl got bit." He pulls me through the tunnel so fast I dont even have a chance to recognize anyone, I blink and suddenly Im standing in front of the sickly boy, his eye glancing at me before returning to his sobbing father. 

I look over at Toby. "I dont know what you want me to do, I cant heal him." 

"But your blood can right?" He says and Ricks head lifts up slowly after hearing it. "You have a immunity to the virus!" 

"No I mutate the virus." I say, making sure to keep my voice calm to not seem harsh, for the boys sake. "It doesn't cure it." 

"But he can change right! To be like you?" 

"Technically yes, but its very very unlikely." 

"But it's possible?" Rick asks, looking up with me with tears rolling down his face. "You could save my boy?" 

God damnit, they're not getting the message. "I could doom the rest of you." I reply, not swayed by the desperation in his voice. "The flood is no fucking joke." 

"He's right." Mike chimes in from behind me. "I saw them, they're fucking scary." 

"Please...." Rick begs, holding his sons hand, "even if its the smallest chance, please just try." 

"What about Fenrir?" Toby asks pointing at the dog laying next to the dying boy. "Fenrir likes him right? Won't leave his side? Shouldn't you try for _his_ sake." 

I groan and rub my eyes, thinking to myself. He could turn into a floodlight, lose his mind and start killing people, infecting them and spreading a upgraded virus at a unprecedented rate, one I cant even hope to counter. Or, and this is a big, unlikely _or_ , he could evolve and become a creature similar to me, a cousin species, I've only see that happen twice, and that was a very long time ago in a very different environment.

I let out a deep breath. "Fine...." I say giving in to the desperate atmosphere surrounding me. "Give me something sharp." The black woman swings her sword off her shoulders and hands it to me. I unsheathe it and slice at my wrist, making sure to deactivate my regeneration while doing so. I grab Carl by the back of the head and slam our lips together, sliding my tongue into his mouth while everyone else gives off a surprised gasp. 

Okay, hear me out, I have no intention on acting pervy with a dying boy. You need to understand, my blood is hot. I don't mean that it's warm, I mean it's hot, burn your face off hot. However, my saliva acts as a neutralizer for the radiation that heats the phytoplankton in my blood stream, hence making the kiss necessary. I hope that cleared everything up, but feel free to ask questions.

I disconnect our lips, noticing a trail of saliva spread between us, the boy giving me a wide eyed stare as shock overtakes him.

I place my bleeding wrist in front of the dying boy and wink "suck it." 

In a instant boy's shock changes to amusement gives me a funny look and manages to giggle through the pain. "Hehe what?" 

"You heard me, take it." I say pushing my wrist against his lips, he gives me a worried glance, but eventually I feel suction against my wrist as he laps up the blood that will either kill or save him. "I'll tell you when to stop." 

"Somethings here!" Toby cries, making me look over my shoulder, fear obvious on the boys face. I close my eyes and focus, listening to anything out of the ordinary, all I hear are growls and death, something big. 

"He's still here." I say looking over at Mike, he nods in understanding and I look back at the boy suckling on my wrist "hurry up." 

I prepare myself for combat, taking deep breaths and focusing my aggression at a particular adversary, knowing he had bested me last time. his advantage was surprise, and my over confidence in myself.

But now I know he's here, and I'm ready for him. 

"That's enough Carl." I say to the boy and he immediately detaches from my instantly healed wound. I take of my ammo vest and drop it on the ground as I make my way out of the pipe system, noticing Mile following close behind. "Stay here Mike, he's mine." I say, glancing over my shoulder. 

The man looks confused at first but nods, holding his position as I climb up the ladder, pushing the manhole open and squeezing through the entrance, sliding the cover back once I'm out. 

I look around, keeping my head low to avoid the massive plumbs of smoke rising from the wreckage of this place. I hear something shatter behind me and flatten on the ground as the same hook that pierced me last time narrowly misses the back of my neck. 

"There you are!" I scream in a subhuman voice as I turn to spot the massive man. We lock eyes for a second his barely visible through the small slits of the metal mask attached to his face. He bends over and sprints at me on his knuckles like a silverback, I sprint back but do it like a regular fucking person. 

He swings one massive arm up and brings it down, almost too quick for me to avoid as I sidesteps out of his center line, the concrete under us cracking as shattering from the force of the impact. He retracts his arm and I sprint at him, colliding my knee again his armored face and pressing off his forehead with my metal foot, flipping backwards and out of range. He lets out a angry scream and charges at me again, I roll out of his path and use my enhanced speed to circle him, throwing a multitude of punches and elbows and bouncing out of range before I realize I'm not doing any damage. 

Shit. 

He charges me again and slams his hand against my chest pinning me to the ground. I scream in frustration as he squeezes his hand, my ribs begin popping out of place and breaking. "Mother fucker!" I scream and desperately try to pry his hand off of me, my eyes flashing.... and my hands heating up..... very hot. 

I thought I was hallucinating for a moment when the first spark flew in my hand, followed by a massive 'whooshing' noise that propelled the air forward. Another spark and a massive, bright blue flame erupts from my hands, burning the mans arm and scaring him off of me. Oh good, that's working again.

I kick him away from me and roll backwards and springing to my feet before focusing the literal fire on the man, burning him as he screams in pain and backs off. I close my hands and exstenguish the flame bursting backwards through the distortion to create my space and allow the static to run up my spine. He charges forward at me again and I let off a psionic blast, knocking him back slightly, but he persists, I hit him again, and again, but he continues to push through. 

"Some one drank lots of milk!"

I mock and charge up the static, trying to get to the point that I know will hurt him. He will not willingly allow me the time to charge to maximum voltage, so I must keep him occupied until then. 

I charge foward, using the distortion to propell me and jump over the man, while above I open my hand and a blue flame bathes the man in light. He screams but fights through it, continuing to charge at me as I sprint in circles around the massive creature, dodging his animalistic strikes. 

He bursts foward suddenly and tackles me to the floor, i wrap my legs around his torso and try to keep him still, but he postures up and I narrowly avoid a massive strike that would have no doubt splattered my skull. I use my natural flexability to wrap my leg around his shoulder and under his throat, pulling the back of his head down while pushing my shin up to squeeze his wind pipe for a gogoplata choke. He thrashes around and muscles out of it, but he over emphasized his weight and I capitalize my rolling with his momentum, earning at too mount. I place my hands on his chest. 

Now! 

I realease the massive static discharge, his body jolting from the sheer impact, but the blast keeps going, coursing through him dispersing on the ground, flattening the remains of a few homes that were left standing in the area, including mine and Tobys. 

"Oh shit." I say after realizing that I could use that sort of tactic later, as my tendrils snake out of my shirt and attached to the massive man under me, gobbling him up with ease. 

My vision fades away for a second before a massive surge of power goes through me, and continues to rise. The distortion around me is uncontrollable and it picks up debris and me, lifting me slowly off the ground as my power rises, I scream when it peaks, and My voice multiples when it breaks past that point as I feel my body change. The distortion swallows me up for a second in a cocoon of change, the plates of armor forming as my body grows. 

**Running diagnostics.**

**Heads up display: online**

**Automatic rapid regeneration: online**

**Flesh skin: ready and standing by**

**Combat skin: active**

**Leviathan: ready and standing by**

**Weapons: holding**

**Alma personality matrix: active**

**_Im back._ **

——————————————-end


	13. Evolution

Keeping the group safe on the journey to the Hilltop was very easy thanks to the reemergence of my combat skin. My physical frame morphing from a small, five foot seven, child like appearance to a massive seven foot six, one thousand pound armored demon with FUCKING CLAWS BITCH! On top of that I have a massive blade, a 'whip' of sorts , and thats not included the actual weaponry I have access to. The biggest challenge was simply kee- 

**_Are you talking to yourself again?_ **

Anyways! Carl was having trouble walking due to the bite, so we all had to take turns carrying him, Which delayed- _you know what fuck it, I lost my train of thought._

**_Lawl, you're easily distracted._ **

_Lawl, you don't have a body._

Anyways, alma is back so thats umm..... nice. 

_So how come you didn't talk to me until last night?_

**_I couldn't, I couldn't even see you actually, I was stuck with the dog._ **

_You were controlling Fenrir?_

**_I wish! I just tried telling it what to do! Do you know how difficult it is to get a dog to listen to you without treats or anything?_ **

_No but I have a feeling Im about to find out._

**_It was a living Hell!_**

"Why do you look so annoyed?" Toby asks and sits down next to me, two sandwiches in his hand. He hands me one, "You like lettuce right?" 

"Yeah its ok." 

"Good, because I got you a lettuce and bread sandwich, enjoy." He scoffs and takes a bite out of his sandwich. Why is he acting weird. 

"Are you mad at me?" I ask, giving the boy a sideways glance as I hold my sandwich close to my mouth. The boy lets out a little sigh and looks down. 

"Kinda." 

**_What did you do to this poor boy?_ **

_I didn't do shit!_

"Why, what I do?" 

"I don't know man, maybe you left when I specifically asked you not to? Because the thing I said would happen happened? Because our friends are hurt and our home was bombed? Because Jacy had to watch her father die and Liam nearly got chopped in half?!" 

_He's making a scene, should I hit him?_

**_I don't think so._ **

"You're blaming me?" I growl, a aggressive undertone starting to boil in my voice. "I didn't attack you, the Saviors did." 

"And you weren't there to help." 

**_The audacity._**

"So? I was elsewhere." 

"I asked you NOT to go!" 

"Im not your fucking dog!" I scream, standing up from the table we were sitting on, theirs people watching us now but I don't care! "I go where I want! You were there! YOU do something! Its not on me! Its in you!" 

"Me?! I can't shoot lightning from my hands! I cant regenerate! I don't have the ability to run a bazillion miles a hour!" 

"You got a gun and you got two hands! You can fight with em or you can go fuck yourself with em! Im not here to guard you!" I scream, letting my voice take on two separate voices, knowing damn well that it scares him. "Aight you know what!? Get the rest of the kids! We training today." 

"What! No please, Im sor.." 

"We doin sprints!" 

————————————————— 

"Ladies and gentlemen!" I say marching infront of my depressed looking friends, not letting their annoyed glares affect me. "Toby has recently informed me that y'all are a bunch of dry noodles, when Im done with you! You will be a delicious plate of spaghetti and meatballs!" 

"What are you talking about?" Liam grumbles, a bit angrier then im used to from such a easy going kid. 

**_He interrupted you._ **

_Discipline!_

_"_ Ten sprints for you liam, congratulations." I scream and pointing at the boy. He gives me a betrayed look but shuts his mouth. "I will not only teach you how to fight, I will teach you to fight! If you don't fight, you die! You don't have to like it, but you will learn to do it." 

I grab the rifle I had placed on the table next to me and hold it in the air. "This is a rifle! You can shoot someone with it! Or you can bludgeon someone! Today I will show you the art of bludgeoning!" 

I place the rifle against my shoulder. "Don't go swinging these things around like a baseball bat unless you're in dire straits, so I recommend using jabs, you can jab with the barrel like so." I thrust the barrel of the rifle forward. "Notice how I'm using my legs and angling the rifle, this is to get as much power as I can in a short distance." I bring the rifle back and get into another position, using the barrel as the contact point in a diagonal X motion "this is called a slash, it works like a hook in boxing." 

Finally I demonstrate a basic butt stroke. "There's alot of variation on this strike so find Whats comfortable to you, you can keep your hand on the grip, or you can place it on the stock. I personally like to keep it on the grip and keep the butt against my elbow, so it's basically a elbow strike, however it's uncomfortable if you're striking with the lead leg on the opposite side, So I start off with a jab, follow with a stroke and finish with a slash." I demonstrate the basic combo to my new students. 

"Simple right? Give it a try?" 

————————————————— 

I block his jab easily, throwing a straight in retaliation but he always fucking slips it and then just fucking decides what he wants to hit me with next, in this case he slipped to the inside and brought his lead hand over my extended punch, called a over hand strike. 

**_He's a much better boxer then you._ **

_Yes! Thank you Alma I realize that!_

_"_ You really seem to be enjoying yourself." I say with a hint of venom on my voice, he knows I regenerate, so he aint pulling his punches. I dont feel pain, but that doesn't mean I don't feel the jolt of the impact itself. 

"Heh you asked me to help right?" Mike says , keeping his pace, disciplined in his stance. "Am I hurting you, baby?" He says with a mock pout. I groan and move my hands around, hoping he gives me a opening. I jab his body and jump away from his retaliatory strike. 

"Is this what you wanted to show them?" Rick asks while sitting on a bench with the rest of the spectators, they seem to be enjoying the show. 

"And thats ten sprints for you Rick congratulations." I scream to the man over Mikes shoulder, letting myself look serious for a moment before returning to my normal, playful demeanor. 

I will admit, Im enjoying this little sparring session, despite how one sided it had been so far. Mike has alot of little details that he points out to the kids, like how he switches from neutral to stagger stance, and proper eye placement. But I asked him to show his technique for a much more selfish reason, I want to steal it. My Etadik has proven to be a devastating style, but the ability to blend that with a mixture of other, more direct styles and a solid ground game is what really separates me from other fighters.......and the superpowers I guess. 

But Mikes peekaboo style is incredibly technical, direct, intelligent, and most notably, devastating. The ability to weave in and out of range, changing his direction of attack constantly and the sheer power of it is one of the most awesome things I have ever seen in my life. So If I can learn his style, make a few adjustments, and blend it with the rest of the styles I had adopted, I'd be unstoppable. 

BUT HOLY FUCK MY RIBS! 

"Ok! Wait!" I scream and he stops mid punch, looking down at me. I give him a mischievous smirk and turn to face my students, they seemed to enjoy that I was getting my ass kicked, watching intently while sitting in the dirt, except for Jacy, who seems too distracted to care, Ill let that slide. "So as you can see, he's winning the stand up game." 

"Yeah no shit!" 

"And Thats ten sprints for you Felix, congratulations." 

"God damnit." Felix mumbles and crosses his arms. 

I clear my throat before speaking. "He's a better striker so what should I do?" I ask my class, and they give me wide eyed stares.

**_Everytime they talk you make them do sprints._**

I roll my eyes. "Grappling! I will adjust my style to a mixture of Jui jitsu, Judo, And wrestling! Mike will continue his boxing strategy." I give Mike the signal and he advances forward, faking the jab and throwing a straight. I sprawl out and grab his ankle, pulling it with me as I scramble to my feet. He falls and, I allow him a moment to make the mistake I knew he would, letting me take his back and wrapping his neck up in a rear naked choke, not putting pressure due to the fact this is just a demonstration.

"Every attack leaves something open! You need to be prepared for anything and everything!" 

————————————————— 

"You would be a terrible gym coach." Jasmine says and sits down next to me, letting her legs hang over the wall like mine. She hands me a bottle of water and I thank her. "Why are you making him do sprints?" She asks, referring to Rick, who looks like he's about to puke from the exertion, having finished his fourth, two hundred yard sprint, leaving him with six more. 

"He said something, I honestly don't even remember what it was, Im surprised he agreed to it." 

"Well you did threaten to stab him." 

"Do you think that had something to do with it?" 

She lets out a small chuckle and shrugs her shoulders "probably." 

Jasmines attitude had changed completely from when I first met her. She's funny, patient, and generally upbeat. When I met her she was distant and short tempered. "What's your goal here?" She asks. "I mean why are you training them so hard?" 

I kick my legs over the edge, enjoying the freedom of movement. "If I train them hard here, it'll help them out there, ya know? So I can't be soft on them."

"Like in the army?" 

"I don't know anything about your

Army, but yeah like militaries tend to do." 

"I guess that makes sense." 

"Yeah, I think it's important for them to lea- FELIX STOP JOGGING ITS A SPRINT!" I yell at the boy. He must've thought I was too enthralled with my conversation to notice him slacking. 

**_Speaking of slacking, aren't you forgetting something?_ **

_The boy? Right._

"I have to check on someone." I say and swing my legs back onto the wall, strutting off of it and galloping to the Hilltops med bay.

I knock on the door, waiting for a response. 

"Come in." 

I open the door and peak in at Carl, he's sitting up now, reading one of the many comic books provided to him from the Hilltops archive. "Hey kid, how you feeling?" 

"Still a bit groggy, but stronger. I can sit up now." The boy answers, placing his comic on his lap and giving me his full attention. I grab a chair and place it next to his bed. 

"Any nose bleeds? Or mood swings?" I ask looking for any systems of infection. He shakes his head. 

"I'm a bit thirsty." 

I nod and hand him my bottle of water, he gives me a grateful grin and gulps it down, not bothering to breath. The boy finishes the water at takes a deep breath "thanks." I nod in response. 

_Hey alma, why does Fenrir like this boy so much?_

**_Him? I don't think he's the one Fenrir likes._ **

_What do you mean?_

**_There's a scent on him that Fenrir is attracted to, Im not sure what that means yet, but its not coming from the boy._ **

_You're telling me the dog likes someone near the boy?_

**_Not currently._ **

_Wha- Fenrir is my dog! He loves me!_

**_Mhhhm._ **

"Why are you looking at me like that?" 

Oh I didn't even realize I was staring. "Sorry, I was talking to someone." 

He gives me a confused look and looks around. "Do you see someone I don't?" 

"No uhhh shes in my head, her names Alma." 

"Oh." He says, giving me a strange, half eye closed look. "When I was younger I had a imaginary friend, he was a elephant." 

"She's real."

"Yep I'm sure she is." 

I roll my eyes at him. "Anyways, when do you think you can stand on your own? I need to get you into the sunlight." 

"What why?" 

"If you're a subspecies of... what ever I am, you'll be able to used photosynthesis." 

"You're a plant?" 

"No, thats really the only similarity." 

"Ok so if Im gonna turn into something like You, what can I expect."

I think for a moment. He's not gonna be exactly like me, and I actually dont have alot of experience with evolved, except for the three previous ones. 

"Well, you'll gain some regenerative abilities, need to eat a bit more, but you'll have tendrils. You already have the zombie virus so they're on your dinner plate now." 

"The what virus?" 

"Zombie... ehh you call em walkers." 

"Oh, what are tendrils?" 

"They're like appendages that grow from you lower back and attach to dying bodies, gobbling them up in seconds." The boy gives me a uncomfortable one eyed look. 

Hmmmm one eye. 

"What are you doing?" The boy asks in surprise as I reach forward, grabbing for the bandage around his eye. 

"I need to see if it's regenerating." The boys remaining eye widens and he grabs my wrists weakly, I stop my movements. "Whats wrong?"

"I don't want you to see that!" He cries out and breaks eye contact with me. "Im self conscious of it ya know?" 

"Not really no." I say and push my hands a little further, he struggles against me. "Im not gonna make fun of you or anything, I need to see to see if you're making progress or not." 

"What if im not?" He asks, a little shake in his voice. 

"Well If you are thats good news, if you're not I'll stay with you until something hap....... Whats wrong?" 

The boys eye glistens a little as tears well up in his eyes. "Im scared." 

"Hmm? Scared of what?" 

"Of pain, of death." The boy lets go of my wrist to wipe a stray tear rolling down his cheek. "What if I dont get better?" 

**_Don't tell him the gory details, just try to comfort him._ **

"I'll kill you quickly, ok?" 

**_That's not what I had in mind._ **

"Would it really be that easy for you?" He asks re gaining eye contact. "Could you really just kill me like that?" 

"Well yeah, I have this giant blade that morphs around my arm, shits made of diamond so it's pretty sharp, you wouldn't even feel it." 

"That's not what I mean, I mean you could just pull the trigger like that? Without a second thought?" 

"Well, I mean yeah? Why couldn't I?" 

The boy takes a deep breath. "When I was younger, there was this boy, I didn't know him. He was apart of a group that was attacking the prisoner I was living in at the time, and I umm, I shot him." 

"Yeah? And?" 

"Well at the time, I didn't feel bad for it, I tried to justify it by telling myself I had to kill him, that he would kill me and my family if I didn't. But thats not true, he was just a scared kid." 

"I don't know why you're telling me this." 

"Well, I guess I feel guilty, I could have brought him home ya know? He could've been my friend. I REGRET it. Do you ever regret things?" I tilt my head and think to myself for a moment. Is there anything I regret? Maybe someone I've wronged? Something Ive done? Someone I've killed? 

"Nope." I happily conclude, my eyes glowing softly from the realization. I don't think he wanted me to say no from the way he's looking at me, perhaps he wanted to have a heart to heart? 

"I dont want to Kill you. I like you. But if its between you suffering a slow, painfull infection and a quick death theres not much difficulty in the choice." I explain, tossing my head to the side. Why is he looking at me like that? Like Im some psychopath? "You realize I'm not completely human right? This body is one of many."

Im not sure what got through to him, but reality finally clicked. "Oh." He says and looks away, a embarssed blush on his face. "I guess I keep forgetting." 

Well at least he admitted it. 

**_Say something! He's sad cheer him up!_ **

_The fuck am I gonna say?_

**_I don't know? Tell him about the past? When you were born._ **

"I was born in this body." I say getting his attention back on me. "I never grew, the only thing that changes is the length of my hair." 

"You were never a baby?" 

"No, Im only nine, I don't think this body will ever change." 

Carls eye lights up "You're nine!?" 

"Im certain Im older, I uhh woke up in a pod. Im pretty sure Ive only been conscious for nine years, but the memory issues could be messing with my sense of time." 

"Do you have parents? Or siblings or anything?" 

**_Oh yay! Story time._ **

_Hush now Alma._

**_Rude._ **

"Well, I grew up in Afrika, not your Afrika, a different Afrika. I lived in a slum for a while, me and some other kids, just trying to survive ya know." I lean over his bed, laying my chin on it, This is probably gonna be a long story. 

"After a while these guys showed up and took as to a.. how you say? Concentration camp? Anyways We were starved there, and the weaker ones, the ones who couldn't work. They were fed to animals, Just to clear up space. Eventually these soldiers arrived and umm liberated the camp, but none of the kids I knew were left and the army didn't know what to do with me. So they put me into something called 'the Spartan Project'. It was sorta a team full of people with powers I guess."

"Like the X-men?" The boy asks, deeply enthralled by my story. 

"I..... maybe? I dont know." I say shrugging my shoulders. "Anyways, the spartans were destroyed, minus me obviously. Eventually I was brought into a monastery."

"Like for monks?" 

"Yeah, exactly. I don't remember much of the place itself, but there was this man there. He was blind, and he wasn't afraid of me, he taught me how to fight, and how to ummm guide myself. Thats when the first world gets blurry, I don't remember what happened after that." 

"First world?" 

"Yeah, this is the third world I've been to." 

"Do you remember the second?" 

"Kinda, not very well. I had a family there, not blood related but some people who took me in, looked out for me ya know? Anyways one day these giant cunts attacked.....they were like giant people minus the intelligence. Well I got desperate to protect my friends and lead the monsters away, Then I transformed into the Leviathan for the first time." 

"Leviathan? Sounds scary." 

"I actually can't remember what its like, I mean I had it described to me, but I actually don't remember for myself, even with its extensive use in that war." 

"War? What were you fighting against?" 

"Im not sure, there were these monsters......"

"Did you win?" 

"I... I don't know." I say with a shrug. "I think thats the only thing I regret, my memory problems I guess." 

"I don't know if regret is the right word for that, but I feel you." 

A knock on the door gets our attention, I look over my shoulder at a girl, about Carls age, peeking her head inside the room, looking back and forth at the two of us. "Am I interrupting something?" 

"No enid, You're not." 

"I came to check on you, who's your friend?" She asks, giving me a friendly smile.

**_Lawl she thinks you're a kid._ **

"This is Dindu." Carl answers and leans up to run his hands through my hair, I hate to admit it, but I love the feeling. "He's the one I told you about earlier." 

I feel my eyes flash. "Oh god, what did he say." I ask, turning my attention to the pretty girl.

"Just That you're a alien." She says while rolling her eyes "Is that true?" 

I shrug my shoulders "I guess, technically that's correct." 

"Thats cool." She says and Then turns here attention to Carl. "How you feeling?" 

"Better, I should be walking soon." 

"Cool, see you then." She says and then hurries out of the room. 

**_That was odd._ **

I look back at carl, he's smirking to himself, a small blush on his face. He looks back at me when He notices my sideways stare. 

**_Awwww that's adorable._**

"You guys like, a thing?" 

His eyes widen as he stares back at me, thinking to himself, "Yes."

I chuckle to myself and say, "Does she know?" 

He takes a deep breath and looks away from me "I don't know." He looks... unsettled by his self observation. "I think she does, but we never really made it official." 

"Oh you mean fucking?" 

His eye lights up as a smile grows on his face. "Hehe no, thats not what I mean." He says. I shrug my shoulders and stand up. 

"Well if you're gonna fuck its now or never." I warn and move to the door. 

"Wait!" He says and I stop to look back at him. "What do you mean?" 

"You're gonna get ALOT stronger." 

**_Why must you be so vague?_ **

**_————————————————_ **

"Yo Dwight, why are you locked up with these fucks?" I ask the half faced man after finding him locked in this cage, along with a multitude of prisoners. 

"Maggie doesn't trust me, so she had me thrown in here." The man glumly responses while leaning against the chain link cage. "Better then facing execution I guess." 

"Ah, I'll let you out then." I say and move towards the cage entrance, a guard raises his makeshift spear at me. 

"Hey! Stop! What are you doing?" The man screams and I give him a sideways glance. I thought it was obvious what Im doing. 

"Duh, Im letting him out." I say and work on the lock, fuck I don't have the key, might have to pull him out by hand. 

"Stop!" The man orders and jumps down from his post, his spear leveled with my torso. Static starts to rumble in my lower back. 

**_Thats a bit overkill don't you think?_ **

_Nope._

Im about to let loose on the man when Toby intervenes, standing in between me and the man with his arms raised. "Stop!" He yells, and we freeze. He turns his attention to me "Bro, relax. I see your eyes glowing, chill please." 

I roll my eyes, but relax nonetheless, allowing the static in my spine to fade away. "They have Dwight locked up with the rest of these fags, Im gonna let him out." 

"No you will not!" The man screams and raises his spear. Is this bitch really gonna throw a spear at me? 

"Dude!" Toby yells at the man, putting himself in the line of fire. "Put the spear down! You're gonna piss him off!" 

"Stop this!" Rick yells hurrying over after noticing the commotion. "Put the spear down! Lets talk about this!" 

"There's Nothing to talk about, he wants to let the prisoner out, he was put in that cage for a reason." 

"It's cool, he helped me escape the sanctuary." I say and turn my attention to the man with the spear. "So we're even with him, ok?" 

"No! Not ok! Dont let him out!" 

Aaaaaannndddd I'm annoyed, Im getting him out now. 

The distortion begins to cloud around me, acting as a cocoon for my body's nearly instantaneous metamorphosis. 

**_Activating combat skin. Is this really necessary?_ **

_I just wanna make a show of force._

My body grows as the biometallic plates cover me, my small, child like stature changing into a large, humanoid super predator. The black armor with glowing blue pulsating slightly, and the black helmet with the black visor manifest in. I change from five foot seven and a hundred and sixty pounds to eight feet tall one thousand pounds, all within the time span of one and a half seconds. 

_Ahhhhh, I missed this power._

**_It really hasn't been that long._**

I jet my arm forward and target the man, a wave of distortion clouding around him, causing paralysis as he begins to levitate towards me. I hold him in that state, eye level with me and two feet out of reach. 

"Hi" I say, my voice now a intimidating, animalistic growl. "Are you sure you wanna throw a spear at me?" 

The man makes choking noises, unable to talk through the paralysis. He's not actually choking, infact its completely harmless unless I decide to throw him around. I actually used to do this to a friend of mine to help him get to the tops of trees, he enjoyed it. I have a feeling this

Man won't share his sentiment. 

I lightly lob the man to the side, he lands with a dud on the grass around ten feet away from where He was. I turn my sights on Dwight, figuring I could just lift him out now. The distortion clouds around him as I slowly levitate him up and over the barb wire that lines the top of the fence. 

"There you go." I say, dropping him on the then ground, his legs buckle and he falls on his back. "You have bad circulation if the paralysis takes that long to wear off on ....." I stop when I feel a FUCKING SPEAR bounce off the back of my helmet, I turn around and guess who I see. This little bitch! Standing there with his eyes wide, he realized he just made a huge mistake. 

**_Well.... he did try to kill you._**

I rotate my wrists to allow my hands to morph into massive claws before blitzing forward, impaling the man and cutting him in half, a simple slice and dice. 

"What?" I say to the crowd gathered around me, their eyes wide in surprise.... or fear. "He tried to kill me first." I rationalize, realizing my reaction may seem a bit harsh to them. 

"D-Dindu." Toby stutters out, eyes fixated on the mutalated corpse laying next to me. "What have you done?" 

"Hmm?" I grunt looking at the corpse next to me, his torso detached from his lower half, his fingers twitching. My tendrils emerge from my lower back and gobbles up the mans upper half. "I cut him in half?" 

"Why!" Toby screams at me and I shrug. I thought it was obvious. 

"I already told you, he threw a spear at me." I say, rubbing my claws together and making a sound with them, like two blades rubbing together. Its quite soothing to me....

"Yo-you went too far this time Dindu!" He screamed, his shoulders trembling in fear as he looks up at me. "You killed a man in cold blood! You know he couldn't hurt you!" 

I chuckle at his outburst, "You think he knew that?" I ask, taking a step forward.

"I-it doesn't matter what he.." 

"Yes it does!" I interrupt, towering above him. "You really think he threw that spear with no intention of hurting me?" 

"I-I dont know! 

"I do." I growled, it's not my intention to frighten Toby, but this form has that effect. "He threw that spear, with intent to kill. I simply reciprocated his intentions." 

He looks away from me, staring right into my chest plate with tears in his eyes. I growl and walk away, out of sight of the crowds gaze. 

_I think that went well._

**_Well.... They'll get the message I guess._ **

**_————————————————_ **

"Dindu."Rick says, getting my attention away from my third sandwich, my second in the last hour. I had planned on eating it while star gazing, but it appears that Rick has different plans as he motions me to follow him. I groan, but I get up from the grass patch I was laying in, bringing my sandwich with me. 

"What's up?" I say after being ushered into a small room, along with Connor,Michone, a woman I don't know and Dwight, all sitting in chairs around a round table. Two seats were reserved for Rick and me, and I plop down on the one next to Connor, giving him a grin. 

"Dwight has something we think you should hear." Rick says as he sits down in the chair next to me. He motions for Dwight to start talking and I take a bite of my egg and lettuce sandwich. 

Dwight leans forward and becomes the center of attention for the table. "Three months ago, we came into contact with A rouge military group lead by Carmine, you know him yeah?" He asks and I shoot Connor a look. 

"Yeah" Connor answers for me, "We know him." 

Dwight continues "Then you know he's the leader of a massive group of people even larger then the Saviors." 

"I thought I hurt them." I grumble up at Connor, interrupting Dwights story. "I mean, we killed most of them didn't we?" 

Connor shakes his head "That was a small group compared to the numbers he truly has." I give him a disapponted sigh and he continues. "Don't get me wrong, we fucked them up, but there's plenty of them left to wipe out." 

**_Awww he knows just what to say._**

"My point is.." Dwight says a bit loudly, getting the spotlight back on him. "Negan and Carmine are working together on something big, and after yesterday there plans would have accelerated." 

"Plans?" I ask, not letting the suspense ruin my delicious sandwich. 

"There's a base, a military base a couple hundred miles from here, the public doesn't know about it, it's underground." He explains before taking a deep breath. "Carmine has access to the base, if he gets there, he'll have a massive arsenal, and I ain't talking rifles, I mean Humvees, Tanks, A.P.Cs , hell even some Apache gunships." The table watches me take in his words looking at me with..... expectancy? 

_They want me to say something don't they?_

**_Definitely._ **

"What are you asking me?" I ask, giving a wide eyed stare at everyone at the table. 

Rick leans forward to talk. "We don't have the numbers or fire power to deal with that, But...." 

"But you have me?" I grasp the point. 

"Can you do it? We can't help you, not like this." Rick finishes his thought and I appreciate the honesty. 

I shrug my shoulders and giggle, my eyes burning with excitement. "Yeah, I can do that." I turn my attention towards Dwight. "Do you know where the base is?" 

He shakes his head "Negan doesn't even know, Carmine kept it to himself." 

"Then what does Carmine need Negan for?" 

"Negan is to protect Carmines assets in exchange for military equipment, but things at sanctuary were getting... strange as of yesterday." 

"How so?" 

"The dead have changed, they're faster then before, more agile, and they scream." 

**_The flood? You didn't tell me they were here._ **

"Those aren't your zombies, they're mine, I call them the Flood, they're a hivemind group, I should have known the walker virus would mutate." I say before I think to myself for a second. A mutation would explain why they've managed to spread so quickly, they attracted themselves to the zombies and recruited them into the hive. 

_Do you think there's a grave mind here?_

**_Im not sure, I would have to see there movements up close._ **

"You saw them at Sanctuary right?" I ask Dwight and He nods. "Sanctuary won't be a factor for much longer, the Flood should have wiped them out by now." 

**_That still leaves the horde, If they're spreading so quickly, how long do you think we have until they're here?_ **

_A week at the most, should we burn the area? Let the Leviathan loose?_

**_If the virus can take over pre infected hosts we may not have a choice. But Im not sure if your friends are capable of running a rescue op._ **

_Not without getting in my way atleast._

"Actually... I need some time to think it over." I flip flop and get out of the chair, skipping out of the room and leaving everyone flabbergasted. 

_I should talk to someone about this, Toby maybe?_

**_He's probably still upset about earlier. I would give him space._ **

_The twins perhaps?_

**_You made them do sprints._ **

_Jacy? We've always been on good terms._ ****

**_Her father died last night, I doubt she wants to hear your problems._ **

I groan out loud and plop into a patch of grass looking up at the stars above me. I hug my knees up to my chest and allow myself to give off a depressed groan, realizing how alone I feel at that moment. I look up at the stars and admire the constellations, moving to lay on my back. 

I think I'll sleep out here tonight. 

—————————————————

A scream awoke me, a painful one. I laid in the grass for a few silent moments after I heard it, questioning its reality. Am I hearing shit again? The scream rings out again and I jump to my feet, now wide awake. 

I move to the direction of the scream, followed by a few members of the Hilltop, the screams origin seem to be coming from the med bay. 

_Carl._ ****

**_Get in there spartan!_ **

I activate my combat skin and swing my special rifle off my back, pressing it against my shoulder as I charge forward into the med bay, literally pushing people out of my way while ducking to fit my head inside the room. 

I see the boy, Carl, writhing around on his bed, a red glow being emitted from a growth on his back, right above his shoulder blade. He screams in pain and wiggles around on the bed, arching his back whenever the growth pulsates, his father there, trying his best to calm the boy through his agony. 

"Whats wrong with him?" Rick asks me with desperate tears in his eyes. "What do we do?" 

**_He's hungry, thats good news._ **

_Well I guess its good they can't see me smiling._

I extended my hand towards the boy, wrapping a blanket of distortion around him and pulling him towards me, letting him sprawl over my shoulder plate while I carry him out of the med bay. I push past the crowd of people literally shoving one guy out of my way rather harshly, despite my best attempt to dull my strength, the adrenaline of the situation made my restraint useless. "Outta the way fuckboys! I got a hungry pirate who needs to cannibalize!" 

**_Im not sure if he counts as human anymore, so it's not cannibalism._ **

_Will you just let me say what I want!_

**_Not if it's stupid._ **

_You're stupid!_

"Here!" I scream at the prisoners holding the boy in one hand above my head "catch!" I push the boy over the fence and he bounces when he hits the ground, screaming through the

Pain. The prisoners look confused and Rick looks at me as if I just threw his son to the wolves. 

**_Do you think the boy will be okay with this? What he's about to do?_ **

_He'll learn to live with it._

I take my hard light rifle off my back, aiming it into the makeshift prison shell and let off a shot. The weapon makes a terrifyingly loud' boom and fires off a shot of hard light. A man in the pen screams in pain as his leg is hit, shattering the bone and causing massive blood loss. 

**_You musta hit the femoral artery._ **

_Irrelevant information Alma._

**_Just thought you should know._ **

The boy screams again as the growth settles and sinks into his body, the glow fading out as something pushes the boys shirt up, reveling tendrils identical to mine making their way to the injured man, too preoccupied with his agony to notice the serpent like appendages slithering their way over to him, smelling the blood. 

The man screams as the tendrils attach themselves to him, ripping away at his flesh bit by bit. The first feed is always the slowest, and this unlucky man will have to feel every little bite as the boys body learns how to feed itself. 

The prisoners panic, trying to scramble up the fence in a desperate attempt to escape, allowing me to fire upon them with ease, careful not to hit any of them in the head. For some reason the tendrils won't consume anything lacking brain activity, I have no idea why. 

"Eat up Carl!" I growl, my mouth watering from the carnage before me, but I painstaking abstain from eating the bodies, making a mental goal of eating a fourth sandwich after this is over. One man, a older one with white hair, managed to scramble over the gate, using the prisoners twisted bodies as steps while he painstaking pulls himself over the barbed wire, cutting himself in process before following to freedom, letting adrenaline carry him through the pain as he scrambles away. 

_I guess one bite won't hurt._ ****

**_Have fun._**

I activate the maglock on my back locking the rifle to my armor before bursting over to the man, grabbing him by the throat and holding him above my head. 

_Blade, claws, whip or fists?_

**_He looks like he enjoys a good fisting._ **

I chuckle as I punch a hole through the mans chest, letting go of his throat and letting him slide down my forearm, enjoying the strange sensation against the armor as my tendrils snake from around my back, gobbling the man up in less the a second. I look over at the boy, his tendrils jump from one prisoner to the next gobbling them quicker then before. 

"What's happening to me?" The boy whimpers, laying on his stomach in the dirt as I tear down the chain link barrier separating us, switching back into my flesh skin and kneeling next to the boy, giving him a soft smile as I pull of his bandage, revealing a second, glowing blue eye. 

"We have a-lot to do together." I giggle and pat the boy on the head, accepting him as my adopted family.


	14. Sanctuary

"Just sit there and let the sun do the work." I tell Carl as we sit together over the edge of the metal barrier of the hilltop. Its better for him to get used to soaking up radiation now rather then later. It kinda stings at first....

I can hear him grimacing. "My eyes feel weird." He says glancing over at me, revealing a pair of glowing cyan eyes. 

Kinda weird seeing him with two eyes now. A part of me liked the bandage.

"Yeah, you can feel em glowing, pretty neat huh?" I giggle, enjoying my breakfast sandwich. 

Eggs and tomato. 

I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes butttt i'll take it. The boy next to me lets out a little sigh and rubs his eyes. 

**_Is he depressed?_ **

_Little bitch just got god powers, so he better not be._

I almost roll my at the boy subconciously, but stop myself. "Whats wrong?" I ask, laying my head on the boys shoulder, earning a sad chuckle "You can tell me. I won't get mad or anything." 

"Its just.." the boy spends a minute to think, choosing his words carefully "I was expecting to die that night, I'd spent the whole day thinking about my past, the people I hurt, the people I loved, rehearsing what I would say to them, what I want them to know. And now... I'm alive, and Im a mon.." he cuts himself off and I know what he's gonna say. 

He thinks Im a monster, and in a way hes right. Theres plenty of people in the past who would agree with him. And thats alright, he should be allowed to feel however he wants. He'll have to live with it after all.

So I don't snap, and instead keep my head on his shoulder as he vents. "Now Im something else, and it's like I can atone for my past, but..... I don't know if I can..... because of... well you know." 

"Because we're made to kill?" 

"Well... yeah, I don't want to be a killer anymore."

I groan and take my head off his head, pulling him with me as I jump to the outside of the border. "We don't get a choice, It's simply in our nature, like a lion." I pull him into the forest, looking around for a pack of corpses. 

"Where are we going?" He asks 

"Looking for a pack of Walkers, I wanna see what kind of weaponry you got." 

"Weaponry? Like your lightning?" 

"Now now, don't ruin the surprise." 

I finally find a decent group of corpses, letting go of the boy wrist and pushing him forward. "What do you expect me to do?" The boy asks as I shift into my combat skin. "How do I do that?" 

"You don't have a combat skin." I growl, rotating my wrist, morphing my forearm into a massive blade that extends until it nearly hits the ground, right above my ankle. "Just let it come to you, it helps to rotate both wrists until something comes of it." 

The boy closes his eyes and takes a couple deep breaths, rotation his wrists and bouncing on his toes. 

I chuckle at his nervousness and decide to offer a bit of advice. "It helps to see what you're up against, so keep your eyes open." 

Carl groans and opens his eyes, staring at the corpses slowly moving towards us. He rotates his wrists and jumps when his forearms morph into two, short blades, a red glow emitted from the black biometal that surrounds them. He looks up at me with concern in his eyes. I look to the corpses and nod my head towards them. 

"They're big knives. Go cut something."

I watch over the boy as he charges forward, using his biological weaponry and becoming acclimated to his new found strength and speed, decapitating one corpse before jumping to the next. Even with his indomitable strength, the boy is sloppy, and un balanced, stumbling from the momentum of his own movements. 

**_He never learned how to fight._ **

_We'll have to assimilate him into the training squad when we get back, Ill work with him closely._

Sure as hell don't want him accidentally cutting someone in half because of his lack of discipline.

"You're doing great Carl !" 

—————————————————

"Do I get force powers?" The boy asks, as we continue our walk through the forest, still getting him used to his strength. 

"Force powers?" 

"Yeah, like that thing you do were stuff explodes and ummm your red lightning." He clarifies and I chuckle, just now realizing humans cant see the distortion from the psionic abilities. 

**_You forget everytime we go someplace new._ **

_And you dont?_

**_Nope._ **

"You have a very limited arsenal of psionic abilities...... no lightning by the way." I say to the boy and he groans in disappointment, apparently looking forward to that specific ability. "You can use a psionic blast though, you wanna learn that now?" 

The boys attitude changes back to one of excitement and I feel good about it. I had originally planned to teach him this at the safety of the hilltop, but nows a good a time as any. "Okay, lets do it!" The boy says with enthusiasm, jumping on his toes. 

"Okay.." I say and move around the boy, putting my hands on the small of his back "you're gonna feel some static here, focus on that." I say, backing off of him a bit and getting into a Karate stance next to him, facing the forest. 

"This is how I learned to control it." I say and demonstrate a proper stance my fist loaded down by my hip. "Look at my hips and my feet." I command, and the boy complies as I demonstrate a basic Karate straight, snapping the punch when my hips turn. He mirrors my stance and tries it out, his timing a little bit off. I offer adjustments such as "widen your stance" and "lift your back heel." He's obviously new to martial arts, but luckily My patience didn't waiver. "Now, imagine static erupting from here..." I put my hand on his lower back to demonstrate the epicenter, "And have it spread up your spine and through your arms." I point my finger ahead of us, "Your target is that tree, focus on it." 

He focuses his eyes on the tree and makes small adjustments to his stance before curling his fist down by his hip bone and taking a deep breath, I give him space. He executes the technique correctly, but nothing happens, he glares at me over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about how long it takes, just take a deep breath and try again." 

The boy heeds my advice, taking slow, deep breaths before demonstrating the technique, a pattern that he repeats a innumerable amount of times. I say a silent prayer, asking the boy to be patient and steadfast on his goal, having a evolved human around would be of great aid to me..... might even allow me to activate the Leviathan for a bit. 

**_Don't get ahead of yourself, the boys just starting to learn._ **

_I didn't mean today!_

**_I know you! You impatient fuck, You totally meant today!_ **

_.... yeah I know._

"I did it!" The boy yells in excitement, pulling me out of my own head. I curse myself for having missed it. 

"Do it again! Practice makes perfect you know." 

The boy takes a deep breath and returns to his stance, loading his fist down by his hip. He executes, and a small blast of distortion hits the tree, shaking its branches. A farcry from the forest splitting blast I have, but he'll get there in time..... and lots of practice. The boy looks back at me and I flash a smile and a thumbs up. "Yeet." 

"So.... what else can I do?" The boy asks before returning to stance and firing off another blast, a little stronger then before. 

"You can glide, but there's no good jump point around here." I say. 

_Hmmm unless._

**_Do it._ **

I chuckle to myself before changing into my combat skin, sneaking up behind Carl and wrapping a arm around his waist, lifting him up against me. 

"What are you doing?" 

**_Initiating boosters._ **

The back of my armor shifts, revealing two blue jet streams on my back, where my shoulder blades are, as well as two on my ribs, one on each side. I look at carl, giving him a mischievous grin I know he can't see. 

"What are you doing?" The boy repeats a nervous twitch on his lip as he stares into my visor. We slowly lift off the ground and the boy clutches onto my arm for dear life. "Stop! I hate heights!" 

**_How far up are you gonna take him?_ **

_Pretty far, I need his to learn how to glide._

My speed increases as did carls protests, wrapping his legs around me and closing his eyes. I move just slow enough as to not break the sound barrier, Carl might pass out from the G forces if I didn't. 

"Dont you fucking drop me!" The boy screams, breaking the pg-13 language barrier. 

**_Any higher and he'll burn up!_ **

I slow down and shift back into my flesh skin, flashing Carl a smile before pushing him off me, the boy screams out in terror as I grab him by the wrists, flattening out as the distortion acts as a glider. Carl on the other hand doesn't flatten out, and his weight pulls me forward, causing us to plummet at a high rate of speed. 

"Straighten out!" I scream, grabbing the boys wrists tightly as we plummet through the clouds. The ground approaching at a rapid pace and I shut my eyes. 

**_You're gonna crash!_ **

_I mean, probably._

I pull the boy towards me and attach myself to his back, my arms under his in a full nelson lock while my legs wrap around his, my ankles on his thigh as I use my hips and elbows to force him to straighten out, activating the distortion that acts as a parachute. The decrease in speed was immediate, and I had to keep my head nuzzled in his back to avoid jarring my teeth. 

We slowly parachute down, Carl still screaming as we break through the canopy of the forest under us, getting tangled and stuck in the trees, Carl glares at with the angriest look I've ever seen on the boy. It was sorta like a hostile cat....

"You fucking asshole! Why would you do that to me!" He screams and tries to kick me as I jump from one branch to another, laughing at the boys outburst. 

"You wanted to learn how to glide didn't you?" 

"Yeah! But I didn't expect you to launch me ten thousand feet in the air!" 

"I flew you ten thousand feet in the air! I didn't just throw you up there." I chuckle and fall out of the tree, using the distortion to cushion my fall. I look at the boy still hanging in the trees and motion for him to follow me. "Dude come on! It's like a twenty foot just jump!" 

The boy looks at the ground for a second and then looks back at me "Can't you just float me down or something?" The boy begs, his fear dictating his actions. 

I chuckle and shift into my combat skin, earning a hopeful grin from the boy. His grin quickly changes to a look of fear when I swing my rifle off of my back, aiming it at the base of the branch he's hanging on. "Ten!" I growl, secretly hoping that the boy

stands his ground.

"You wouldn't!" 

"Nine! Eight! Seven!" 

"Please don't!" 

"Six! Five! Four!" 

"Please Dindu!" 

"My names NOT Dindu!" I growl

and fire a round at the base of the tree branch, snapping it and making the boy fall twenty feet straight down, landing with a painful thud on his back. The boy instinctively gasps for breath but quickly realizes he's completely unharmed, sitting up and giving me a unsure look, looking around to make sure he's still alive. 

"That didn't hurt?" The boy mumbles in confusion as I walk towards him, shifting back into my flesh suit. "Why didn't that hurt?" 

"When the virus takes over, it rewires the brains parietal lobe to ignore pain. Exterior pain atleast, you can still feel soreness and poisons still hurt, but you can fall great distances and pop right back up." 

Carl gets back up to his feet and cracks his back. He gives me a sideways glare and turns his back on me. 

_He's gonna try to hit me isn't he._

**_Yes._ **

I see him twist his foot and I roll out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blast that followed. I flip the boy off before jumping into the

Forest, the boy losing sight of me. 

I jump into the trees and spy on the boy as he moves under me, looking to see where I had gone. 

**_Is now the time for hide and seek?_ **

_Sure, why not?_

**_Well....you have fun then, I'll be looking through some files if you need me._ **

I fire a small blast at Carl's back, just enough to make him stumble and fall on his belly before jumping from tree to tree, avoiding the boys retaliatory blast at my last known location. I hide and wait for him to appear, sliding down the tree and disappearing through the foliage, noticing the boys shadow before he rounds the corner into my view. I crawl on all fours behind the boy, throwing a pine cone infront of him to draw his attention before charging out and tackling the boy, pinning him to the ground while he writhes around under me. Right now I still hold the strength advantage, the virus hasn't effected his musculature yet. However it did affect his nerve endings, rendering armbars and calf splicers useless. 

"Do you even know how to fight?" I ask the boy, letting him up and getting myself ready. 

"Yeah, I've fought before." The boy replies, mimicking my stretching techniques, crossing his arm across his chest. 

"Thats not what I asked." I say and shoot the boy a grin. "Do you know HOW to fight?" 

"You mean do I know Karate? No, I don't." He says with a bit of annoyance in his voice, rolling his eyes at me. 

"Well..." I say and charge forward, kicking him in the chest and sending him to the forest dirt "This is a good time to learn." The boy gets to his feet and starts

windmill punching, swinging his arms wildly without and strategy or coordination. I duck under his strikes and kick his legs out from under him. "You know this is probably why you got bit in the first place." 

The boy shoots me a angry glare and rotates his wrists, forming blades to replace his forearms. Ooops, musta pissed him off with that comment. 

"You mother fucker!" The boy screams in anger and swings his arms at me, trying his best to cut me in half. "You don't know anything about what happens here!" 

"I know you wouldn't be alive right now were it not for me." I chuckle as I dance around his attacks. The boy has trouble tracking my movements, and I capitalize with a few, soft strikes to his head and body, striking once before dancing out of range and repeating. The virus is doing a good job of regeneration, otherwise he'd be unconscious by now. 

I let out a gasp when the boy managed to stab me through the shoulder, cutting through my collarbone and rendering my left arm useless. The boys vicious, glowing blue eyes dull into a wide eyed, regret filled look the instant he returns to his senses, retracting the blade from my body and morphing back into his regular form. 

"Oh my god!" The boy screams, raising his hands in automatic surprise. "Im so sorry! I-I don't know what came over me!" I raise my hand to silence the boy. 

"We're good." I say, and the boy sighs in relief, "Nice strike." I compliment and lean against the tree behind me, waiting for my collar bone to regenerate. "The virus is already making you faster, and in time you'll get stronger, but it doesn't do much for coordination and balance, so you'll have to work on that." 

"So... you're not mad?" The boy asks, cutting off my sentence. If their was a camera here I would look right into it. He raises his hand defensively "I just wanna make sure." 

—————————————————

"Get your foot behind the stick!" I yell at the boy. We'll never be able to start this fucking race if he keeps cheating! "God damn it Carl, stop cheating!" 

"Hehe Im not cheating." The boy laughs and moves his foot back behind the stick, getting into a runners stance. "So first one to that stop sign wins?" 

The stop sign stands around five hundred yards from our location. Its red paint chipping while the metal turns to rust, rendering the object much closer to brown then red. I plan to use this little race to test, carls speed, his body's movements are faster then before, so he should be able to sprint faster too. 

"Ready?" I ask and the boy nods, adjusting his body weight onto his back foot. "Set." The boy responds, shooting me a playful smirk and I return it "Go!" 

We blast foward, a normal sprint at first. But after the first ten yards the enhancements kick in, altering our speed, the distortion pushing us past what our bodies. Carl runs as hard and as fast as he can, easily hitting seventy miles a hour at his fastest, and while he gave me a run for my money, he wasn't quite fast enough, as I maintained a five foot lead and crossed the stop sign first, rolling to a stop on account for the inertia.

"Whoah!" Carl screams as he trips over his own feet, slamming down onto his belly and sliding on the road, leaving a small hole on the side of his shirt. "Damn" the boy says while laying on his back, looking at the hole in his shirt "This was my favorite shirt." 

I chuckle at the boy and sit next to him on the road. "We should look for new clothes someday, I've been wearing the same shit for..... a while now." The boy glances over at me, eyeing the blood and dirt that cakes the fabric of my shirt, giving it a mossy, muddy appearance. 

"You could just ask to borrow some clothes ya know? Im pretty sure were the same size." The boy offers, giving me a sideways glance "as long as you don't go around bathing in blood that is." 

"I only did that once... and it was mostly a accident." 

**_It wasn't._ **

_Aren't there files you should be reading? Nerd._

**_Speaking of that, do you know where Fenrir is?_ **

_Nope.... why?_

**_Look up._ **

I do as she says and look up, noticing a bird circling above us, a hawk to be specific. 

_A bird?_

**_Yep, that's Fenrir._ **

"The fuck?" I say aloud, earning a surprised glance from Carl, who was laying on his back looking up at the bird with me. 

"What's wrong?" The boy asks, sitting up and using his palms for support. "Did you see something? You were zoning out again." 

"Hold on." I say and get to my feet, holding my arm parallel to the ground. The raptor notices my movements and swoops down, attaching its talons to my forearm. 

"What the fuck." Says a wide eyed Carl, mesmerized by the sudden appearance of the black feathered hawk. "It has your eyes." He points out, bringing my attention to the creatures glowing bright cyan eyes. 

_Explanation please!_

**_You know how you have three different forms? Turns out Fenrir has four._ **

_Four? You mean the dog has more forms them me?_

**_Yep, there's his Canine form.. the wolf, his aviary form, that means he's a bird._ **

_I know that!_ ****

**_Just making sure, but he also has a aquatic form and .. get this a combat skin._ **

_My dog has a combat skin? Like mine?_

_"_ Dindu? Whats going on? _"_ Carl asks, getting my attention back in him, the owl does some weird owl shit with his head and silently flys off, leaving us staring at it. "Is that your bird?" 

"I guess it is........ that's Fenrir." I say, still processing the information. Its not that strange I guess, If Fenrir has bits of my DNA in him, as well as a psychic link, he could be even similar to me then I had initially thought. In fact it's possible that he's a twin entity, something that has always been connected to me since my birth...... the first one I mean. "Im so confused." 

"What do you mean thats Fenrir? He shape-shifts too?" Carl asks gazing up at the bird circling above us. The bird zooms off the the east, leaving us perplexed. "Dindu?" 

"I guess he can....." I'm cut off by the sound of movement behind us, we both swing around and see a pair of small pale hands coming out over the side of a tree, followed by the face of a familiar girl. What was her name again?

Carls eyes widen when he recognizes the girl "Enid?" His expression softens and I'm reminded of his crush. He covers up the hole in his shirt, "What are you doing here?" 

"I was walking and I heard you two." She explains walking over to us, "So I figured I'd come say hi. See whats up?" She crosses her arms and looks at us, glancing between me and Carl. 

Carl surprises me by putting a arm over my shoulder, pulling me next to him. " Dindu here was just showing me how to use my super powers." 

"Really?" She says with a raised eyebrow. "And what super powers do you have?" She says with a little smirk. 

**_I don't think she ever actually saw you._ **

_That would explain why she never believed me._

Carl relinquishes his contact with my shoulders and takes a couple steps away from me. He rotates his wrists, activating the twin blades that replace his forearms, his eyes glowing from the transformation. 

Enid seemed surprised..... Maybe thats not the correct word. Astonished maybe? Shocked? Looking as if she'd seen a ghost? I don't mean like she saw someone she used to know. I mean like she saw a fucking ghost in the literal sense, a semi visible deity that floats around and says "boo" at people. I had expected the initial shock, seen it plenty of times before when I had shown off my own abilities. I didn't expect the horrific scream that followed, the small shake in her retinas from the sheer fear induced panic. I also didn't expect the devastated expression on carls face after the scream. The girl places both her hands on her mouth and stumbles backwards. 

"What the fuck?" I say, holding my hands up in a defensive position. "The fuck you screaming for?" I ask, a bit irritated by the sudden loudness. 

"Enid?" Carl says with a whimper, quickly changing his blades back into his natural arms. 

"Im sorry." Enid says, a small hiccup in her voice. "I just..... I didn't expect that." 

I roll my eyes at the girl, "Do you usually scream when you don't expect shit?" I hiss.

"Its ok Dindu." Carl whispers looking down "I didn't mean to scare you Enid, I just thought you wanted to see." 

**_I don't mean to interrupt, but Fenrir is picking up movement to the east._ **

"Look....Carl." Enid says taking a step forward. Carl glances up at her, making eye contact. "It surprised me.... thats all." She says, grabbing both his hands. "Im sorry, I really am." 

**_Hey, did you hear me? Bus incoming!_ **

"Enid...." Carl says looking into her eyes. He leans towards her slowly... 

**_Did I mention the army of flood tailing it?_ **

"Holy fucking shit Alma!" I scream, making the two of them jump and bring a end to their intimate moment. I grab Carl by the wrist and pull him with me. "Sorry Enid, we gotta go catch a bus." I turn around for a second and allow my tone to take on a more serious nature, "Go home, tell your people to get ready for a fight." 

She glances between us before nodding and sprinting off through the forest. Carl glares at me and pulls his wrists out of my grip "Cockblocker." He says and begins to walk west.

"They're coming from the other direction." 

He spins around and starts marching east, following close behind me as I change into my combat skin. We jog through the woods to the road the lays on the otherside. 

**_They're a mile out, Ill have Archer missiles on standby._ **

_Focus on the flood, I'll stop the bus._

"Watch this." I growl to carl, rotating both wrists to activate my claws. I look down the road, waiting for the bus to come into view. 

**_Three hundred meters till visual, get ready._ **

"Get ready carl." I say to the boy, clueing him in to activating his blades. "I see it." 

"Oh my god." Carl says, noticing the truck and the army of flood sprinting behind it. When I say army, I don't mean hundreds or anything, but a good forty, which is a pretty decent amount. 

**_Archer missiles away!_ **

The missiles manifest from eight individual balls of blue light above me, shooting forward and smashing into the army of flood that Follows the bus, creating a massive ball of fire and generating a concussion blast that shakes the ground, making Carl stumble and the bus swerve. Now its time for

me to do my part. I slam my claws into the ground, a line of diamond like crusts the earth in front of me, firing up stalactites from the ground and forcing the bus the slam on its brakes to avoid being impaled. I break my claws free from the earth and fly forward, approaching the bus at supersonic speeds as my diamond stalactites crumble away, falling to the ground. I rip open the door to the school bus , frightening its occupants. I was about to grab the rifle off my back when I notice the middle aged woman in The drivers seat, more specifically the armor she bared. 

"The Kingdom?" I ask, the woman is too shocked by my sudden appearance to answer. I look around at the buses occupants, recognizing a few of them, but no

Ezekiel. Hmmmmm looks like Anthony is here though, leg in a cast. I back out of the bus and look at the approaching Flood units. "Carl! Deal with the bus, leave the flood to me!" 

_Now would be a good time to show off Fenrirs combat form!_

**_On it!_ **

The falcon swoops down beside me as I swing my rifle off of my back, pressing it against my shoulder. Carl clambers onto the bus behind me and I hear muffled conversation, apparently he knows the driver. I fire at the approaching flood, the blast from my rifle vibrating the windows of the bus after each boom. The bus speeds off after Carl jumps out of it, I glance at him over my shoulder. 

"They're friends of mine, they're going to the Hilltop." he says breathlessly.

"Wheres Ezekiel?" I ask, firing off a automatic volley, overheating my weapon. I swing the rifle onto my back and charge up my static, waiting for Carls reply. 

"He stayed behind." 

"STAYED? You mean he was LEFT behind!?" I yell, angry at the Kingdoms willingness to leave their leader. "We're going to get him after this!" I fire off my lighting, jumping from corpse to corpse until it eventually fizzled out. "Lets move in!" I command and switch my right arm to my blade, grabbing my rifle off my back. The owl disappears into a cloud of distortion, revealing........ something. 

_The fuck happened to my dog!?_

**_That's the Combat form.... obviously very different from yours._ **

She was right of course, the black fur of the Wolf had been replaced with a Thick layer of Biometalic armor, covered most of the dog, stoping at the tail and leaving the inside part up its legs and belly untouched. I could Identify what were weapons, two on his shoulders, two on his hips, symmetrical on each side of his body, the larger pair at his hips. Im not sure what to expect as his weapons are like mine in the sense that neither were built by humans. His enitire body looked a bit thicker, like it couldnt be pierced by swords or spears, the already large canine now standing at around ten feet in height. 

Apparently Fenrir was the most accurate name we could have given him.

**_What were you expecting?_ **

_A bigger dog........ with wings._

"Hey!" Carl screams getting my attention. "Stop zoning out and tell me what to do!" 

"Right...." The flood approaches and I fire into it with my rifle, the white bolts of light cutting through flesh and bone with ease. The back two weapons on Fenrir swing up and join together, revealing it as a turret. A steady volley of fire coming out of it, shooting whatever my weapons ammunition consist of, the canine flattens on the ground. 

**_He can't move while that turret is active, so You need to draw most of the heat._ **

Out of instinct I nod before remembering that she only exists in my head.

"Lets move in!" I yell at carl, charging forward, weapons blazing as the boy follows close behind me. I put my gun back on my back when Im within arm distance, I can't use my psionic abilities while I hold it. Turns out I was technically right for thinking that my suit aids my psionic powers, basically meaning that I don't have to charge it up as much to get a effect, now able to freely use my lighting, albeit much less power, just enough to burn and crackle. We slice trough the flood, Carl using a bit more momentum then I do stumbling from one corpse to the other whilst I use a bit more elegancy in my swordsmanship. 

I will admit I jumped when the second wave of missiles impacted the ground a few hundred feet away from me, momentarily distracting me from the fight. 

_A little heads up next time please!_

**_That wasn't me! Fenrir can call down missiles too. And I did some more reading, turns out those two small cannons on his shoulders are grenade launchers...... well thats the closest translation for them anyways. If he wants to he can fire from those at anytime. He has a pretty good variety of them too, a bit less explosive then yours though. He has access to stun, fragmentation, anti armor, chemical, flack, and something called Gravity. I think you'll like that one the best because it distorts gravity waves to pull targets into it, then collapses into itself like a black hole....... Sorry, were you trying to kill something?_ **

I let out a small chuckle , looking around at the carnage around me, the shields on my armor smoking as it burns the blood off of me. _I was done anyways._

Carl catches his breath, not used to close combat. I pull on his wrist, dragging him with me. "Cmon, some probably got past us." We sprint through the woods, his reaction time increased because of the virus, allowing him to move with more efficiency. 

"Oh god." Carl whimpers, flood sprinting into the Hilltops barricade, falling down and then sprinting into it again. 

I swing my rifle off my back and take a knee, firing at the corpses at the Hilltops entrance. "They're spreading too quickly." I growl swinging my rifle onto my back before switching into my skin. 

**_We're gonna have to deal with this._ **

The gates swing open, and Carl and I are immediately rushed into a emergency meeting. I was bombarded with a plethora of questions, the group of scared people crowded around me. I tried my best to answer, but I ended up saying "I don't know" for the majority of questions. Its true though, I really don't know. Hell even if I did know would they be able to accept the answer? They all chalk me up as a child despite the fact that Im much more capable then anyone else in the group, possibly even on the planet. You know what, fuck that! I AM the most capable person on the planet! who else can do this shit? No one! 

"Fuck off!" I scream at the surrounding mob, surprising them with my outburst. I feel my eyes burn when I notice Toby pushing his way through the mob, only to grab my wrist and lead me out of it, locking us alone in the library of the main building.

"You alright?" Toby asks while making sure the door was locked. "I know you hate crowds." 

I take a deep breath and compose myself, the tremors starting to fade away. "Mmmmhmm yep, all good now." 

"Cool." He says and sits on a comfy looking sofa, patting the seat next to him "sit, lets talk." 

"They left Ezekiel." I mumble, plopping down next to Toby and brushing my hair out of my eyes. "They just left him to die." 

"I know." Toby says placing a gentle hand on my head, running his fingers through my hair. "We're gonna get him back." 

My eyes flare when he says that and I stare up at him. "Alright lets go!" I yell, jumping up from the couch and making my way to the exit. I swing open the door...... and I shit you not these five mother fuckers are standing right there, listing in on me and Toby 

"The fuck!"

"Sorry, sorry." Felix says making his way through the crowd. 

"Felix, why the fuck is everyone here? EASE-DROPPING?" I yell the word 'Easedropping' prompting the group to look around at random shit, one guy looks at his wrist for a moment before remembering he doesn't have a watch. Felix groans and then slams the door shut, leaving the three of us in the library. 

He takes a deep breath and puts his hands in his jacket pockets "You need to do something about those things." He says, staring me in the eyes, "They're terrified out there." 

"I need to get my friend." I mumble, referencing Ezekiel "they left him to die." 

"We'll get him, you just worry about dealing with those things." 

"Alright lets go." 

"No..." he says, stoping me "By we, I mean our friends.... not you." 

"What are you saying?" 

"He's saying, you deal with the flood, we'll get Ezekiel." Toby explains.

I take in what they say for a moment. "Are you outta your fucking mind!?" I yell, my tone shifting into a growl, "How the fuck can you do that without me?" 

"We survived for years without you!" Felix yells, poking me in the chest "We can do this! Don't you trust us?" 

"Yeah I trust you to get your asses kicked!" 

Felix rolls his eyes and groans at me. "Whatever." 

Toby clears his throat, making us look over at him. "Don't you think thats our best option, Dindu?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"We have no Idea how to deal with the flood, we've never seen them before a few days ago, but we've been dealing with people our whole lives. The Kingdom is our turf, and the Saviors had never been inside before yesterday, we know the layout much better then they do." Toby stands up and approaches me, wrapping a arm around my shoulders and escorting me to the window of the building, we look over the crowd of people, the Alexandrines, hilltop and the Kingdom huddle around and greet each other. 

"We have all our A-players here, and plenty of support, we'll be on home turf. Dwight said the flood was already at Sanctuary right? That means the Saviors will have to focus on defending sanctuary, or better yet, evacuating it." 

"Just.....tell me what your plan is, and skip the details." 

"You go to sanctuary, deal with the flood and any Saviors that are still there, we'll retake the Kingdom." 

"Shouldn't we discuss this with the rest of them?" Felix says, using his hand to reference the group on the other side of the door. "Just to get them on board?" 

I take a deep breath and nod, toby turns to Felix and says "right, open it up." 

————————————————— 

The plan is simple, once we Ironed out the details that is. Connor and Rick will lead the two main squads tasked with infiltrating the Kingdoms wall, clearing out the Saviors and rescuing the king. The old woman on the bus, Carol, and Morgan will lead the two support squads, tasked with perimeter control. They happened to have a map of the area, and spent a good amount of time picking and choosing which buildings to take up over watch positions in. This allows them to cover the infiltration squad and execute any Saviors that may try to flee the area. The leader of the Hilltop, Maggie, will stay at the hilltop, keep it secure. 

I had initially wanted Toby to stay put incase Maggie needed help with anything, he was always a pretty mild tempered guy. However, he surprised me by joining the infiltration team,having Fenrir stay at the hilltop instead. I don't know much about Toby's past, but if he survived this long..... three years into the apocalypse? He had to of learned something right? And I had trained him a bit hadn't I? He'll probably be fine. 

Fenrir has the easiest job. Stay at the Hilltop so the I don't accidentally destroy it. Im not completely sure how the Leviathan works, I only remember flashes, but I know I have somesort of psycic link to those Im bonded to, a subconscious part of me that keeps my sights off of my friends, destroying everything else instead. If Toby stays at the Kingdom, And Fenrir stays at the Hilltop, I wont accidentally destroy the last two friendly settlements I have left. My allies will be safe, and I'll have a place to recover. 

I have been trusted with three tasks. Head to sanctuary and destroy any Saviors that may still be garrisoned there. Look for any information on that Military base Carmine has access to, and destroy the flood..... all of it. 

"I have to warn you..." I say, sitting on negans bed while Carl looks through Negans bedroom Cabinets for the fifth time. "The Leviathan sends out a series of concussive blasts when I change into it, you should stay atleast five miles away from me when I change." 

He looks at me in confusion. "Leviathan?" 

"Hmmmm giant monster?" 

"Oh...... nice."


	15. Scorched earth

They've been running constantly for three days now, moving from abandoned house to abandoned house trying to get away from those........things. Last month they were fifty members strong, a plethora of different people hailing from a variety of professions. Teachers, soldiers, medical professionals, students, all grouped together and forced to do the worst things imaginable just to survive. 

Her name is Zoe Harper, and she is......was their leader. Last month they were fifty members strong, then one day there were only twenty eight. No one knows what happened to those twenty two people who disappeared in those two days, It was a simple ambush after all, one they've all had experienced with. Three days ago these things showed up, claiming another five lives and forcing the rest to flee. 

They lost ten more that night, simply by underestimating the speed of these things. Some of those who survived the initial incident had become infected without even knowing it. Sure they checked for bites and scratches, three years into the apocalypse that was common practice, however no one could have known about the viral spores floating in the air, breath enough of those in and you become one of **them**. Those who were infected were fine at first, complaining of a simple, mild source taste on their tongues. Then the mood swings started, those with the virus in their system became increasingly aggressive, she simply chalked it up to hunger, they had been moving nonstop since the attack, she thought it was the best answer as well as the most simple. She realized her mistake when their eyes started bleeding, and their throats started itching, on the inside of course. She'll remember the screams from that night, ten of her followers screaming through the agony that ripped them apart on the inside, their mouths overflowing with blood from their tearing esophaguses. The change was quicker then before, their was no reanimation period like they're used to, they simply weren't human anymore. 

They immediately started attacking their former friends, ripping them apart in a matter of seconds. Those who were bitten didn't have a delay in the change, bleeding out within seconds before they too were something else. She barely had time to react, smashing through a window before sprinting away from the abandoned apartment complex, followed by a single member of her group. They didn't even attempt to sleep after that, just mindlessly running from those in pursuit. They could hear the screams of the infected, a almost human screaming with a animalistic rumble in it.

That was last night, the two of them are all thats left, and she hasn't said a word. The man, Aaron, keeps glancing over at her, staring out of the corner of his eye and she notices. Normally she would call him out on it, challenge him, make a show of dominance. But today? Today she simply lacked the energy, this wine cellar is the only refuge they could find, to hide from those monsters who took their friends. 

"I see you looking at me." She groans, emotionless. He skin itched with antitipation, the possibility of Arron being infected ran rampant in her paranoid mind.

"Im just...." Aaron struggles to find the proper wording, "Im waiting to see what you decide to do." 

She hasn't decided anything, hasn't even thought about trying to figure out how to unfuck their situation. "Well.....keep waiting." She snaps through the fatigue and he looks away, showing submission.

Years ago she would feel bad for snapping at him, feel bad for being anything but polite. However three years after the apocalypse, kindness turns into a liability, and she no longer enjoys providing it. There's a certain point in a persons psyche were If they push themselves hard enough they can learn to enjoy anything. This includes misdeeds, where being nice gives way to being alive, a primitive survival instinct where you're willing to do everything necessary to ensure your own survival. 

She used to think those villains on T.V. were stupid and badly written, thinking that no person would do such horrible things without some shred of humanity still left inside of them. She feels stupid when ever she thinks about it now, now that she enjoys it.

Fuck, she craves it now. 

The first time she killed, it terrified her. But now? Now it arouses her, and she keeps killing till she's satisfied. She killed once, then again, and one more time before she began to enjoy it,

reveling in the power she gets. At first she would kill with anything she could get her hands on, a gun, a hammer, even a pickax. But now she deals exclusively in knives, she fell in love with blood. The way it moves on the floor, the metallic taste of it, she dips her clothes in puddles of it, her own version of tie-dye. 

She's not proud of it, but she definitely doesn't hate herself for it. Its simply who she is, a far cry from the shy, musically gifted girl she was raised to be. She spent her whole life failing, failing her parents dream for her, who they wanted her to be. It took the end of the world for her to find her place in it, her true place. And If things ever managed to return to how they once were, she knows she couldn't survive in it. She would destroy the world before it destroyed her. 

She jumps, scraping her back on the wooden box she's leaning against. When did she fall asleep? She hadn't even realized she had. She looks over at Aaron, he's sleeping too but on his back, watching his chest rise with each breath, a peaceful sleep. 

She considers reaching into he leg holster and grabbing the blade that lays their, sacrificing Aaron for a moment of ecstasy. She decided instead to save that for later, she's simply too tired. 

Another jump? See? Told you she was tired. She slaps herself across the face, leaving a savory sting on her cheek. 

Another jump? Couldn't be? The wooden boxes that lined the walls of the basement moved too? She can see the dust fly off them from the sudden jolt of the ground. 

A earthquake maybe, but in Georgia? That's pretty rare. 

"Aaron!" She growls, clapping her hands together and making the man jump into consciousness. "Get your ass up!" 

The man scrambles to his feet, hoping to get on her good side. "Im up, boss." He says, body straight at attention. 

_Fucking kiss up_ she thinks, a annoying radiance bursting through the man. She swallows her annoyance and saves it for another time. Another quake hit, a bit bigger this time as she stumbles over, catching herself before she slams into the stone wall that surrounds her. 

"Are you okay, boss?" Aaron asks, scramble on his feet towards her as shockwaves rock the earth beneath them. "You're not hurt are you?" 

"Dude, let me breath." 

The man jumps and puts his hands up, wary of the woman's well known wrath, "Ehhh sorry." 

The boxes fly off the wall as they both clatter to the ground, the sound of the house above them collapsing over is cancelled out by a massive roar the splits their eyes, making them cover them with their hands like children afraid of thunder. 

She can see him mouthing something to her, but all she can hear is a high pitched ringing. The roar continues, she can feel it reverberated through the ground before going silent, allowing her ears to adjust back to normality. She motions for him to stand and he obeys, instinctively keeping his head low as he does it. "Get out there" she orders, pointing to the wooden door entrance they came through. "Check that shit out." 

Aaron hesitates, but takes a deep breath and pushes one of the wooden doors open, slowly peaking his head out and checking the area. The first thing he notices is the house above them has been flattened, a concussion blast had split it apart. Then he noticed the smoke, a massive black cloud rising from from the forest, expanding through it. But it was different, it didn't move like smoke usually does, it was thicker, heavier. It clung to the trees that it touched, sticking too it like sap as it expands up and out of the forest, a thousand foot cloud. The ground shakes again, shaking the trees of the forest and moving the cloud of smoke, expanding it again. 

"What is it Aaron?" She asks, crouching on the ground as to not lose her footing. 

"I ummm...." the man struggles to comprehend what he sees. "You ever watch Lost? Remember the smoke monster? Thats kinda what im seeing." 

"What?" She shakes her head and scrambles forward, pushing him out of her way to get a look at the 'Lost smoke monster'. "Aaron you fool that looks nothing like the smoke monster!" 

"Well I mean... its smoke right?" 

Zoe runs her hands on the ground next to them, picking up a pile of scolding hot ashes, savoring the burns they left on her hands as she tosses them back onto the ground. "Cytoplasm....." 

"Cytowhat?" 

"Volcanic ash...... those tremors must have opened up a volcanic vent." 

"I don't understand." 

"Holy shit Aaron!" She snaps throwing a pile of ash at the man, making him scream from the heat. "Read a fucking book!" 

A blue flash distracts her from her rage as a blast of fire engulfs the forest ahead of her, the smoke burning as the flames hit it, disproving her cytoplasm theory. The flames turn red as they expand through the forest with a force that tears the trees from the earth before burning them to ashes, not even leaving a splinter behind. 

"Boss!" Aaron screams and grabs Zoe's wrist, yanking her into the basement to narrowly avoided the massive blast rolling their way. She clatters onto the ground, scraping her knee as Aaron pulls the wooden basement door shut, hoping to survive the blast. But he didn't account for the pressure change that the cytoplasm cloud would create as it rolled on by, breaking his grip on the door handles and sucking him into the scolding ash cloud, screaming as he is quickly burned alive. 

She bites her lip as her arousal spikes do to the mans agony induced screams "Fuck that was so hot." She whispers and then scrambles behind cover, cursing herself because of her unintended pun. The hides behind a collection of wine barrels as the cytoplasm flows past her. She has to physically hold the barrels down to prevent the tremors fro carrying them away, the tremors that had increased a noticeable rate.

_God I would love to sit on this barrel, but its not the time!_

The cytoplasm flows past her, but the tremors keep coming, a plethora of explosives can be heard going off in the distance, but she'll have to leave the safety of her cover to know more. She slowly makes crowls on her hands and feet towards the exit peaking her head out slowly. 

The ground around her had been burned to a crisp as embers slowly make their way up before dissipating in the air. The ground was hard and black, a thick distortion rose from the shear heat of it. Whats left of the house is gone, just a smoldering mess along with the rest of this neighborhood, she couldn't tell what wreckage belonged to which house. What really caught her eye was the massive, thousand foot black, armored _thing_ that moved with a speed disproportionate to its massive width, each footstep creating the tremors shes been feeling. 

She hears screams coming from behind her and she ducks down as those monsters sprint past her, running towards the giant that's hunting them. And it noticed their advances. 

The beast had no eyes but had plates of bone as it turned its massive, horned head, a crown of thorn like spikes sit on its skull, two ram like horns act like a battering ram while two more horns extend like sabers near its mouth. The creature had no nose, or tongue, but had teeth designed to shred flesh stronger then steel. Bone like spikes lined its back, leading down a whip like tail, the creature using the appendage as a counter balance as it shook the ground below it.

She remembered the monster movies she watched as a kid, how cartoony they were with a man in a rubber suit blasting bad visual affect and knocking down miniature jets 

This was nothing like that, this was gods wrath incarnate, burning the dead from the earth with a fury she'd never seen before. The monsters jaw detached like a snake, and a solid red stream of fire impacting the earth, shaking it on impact as the fire barrels forward towards the dead and towards her. Her survival instincts kicked into overdrive as she scrambled back to her hiding spot behind the barrels waiting for the blast to burn by. She could feel the heat despite the flames being a easy mile away from where she was, and the basement entrance being the only point where the heat could vent into the basement, she still felt the radiation and could smell the burning flesh of the dead as they turned to ash. The rubber on the soles of her shoes began to melt, creating a terrible oder that reminded her of the smell of burning asphalt when the military dropped napalm on Atlanta, her former home. The super heated air had burned her lungs when she made the mistake of gasping from the shock caused from said heat, forcing her to hold it through the remainder of the fireballs presence. The air cools rapidly and allows her to catch her breath without fear of internal combustion, her curiosity leading her to the entrance of the basement. There's no trace of the bodies that had been their just seconds before and the giant had turned its interest away from that area, instead making its way north. 

Its heading towards Atlanta she notes and makes her way out of the basement, her shoes burning on the superheated ground underneath her. She makes sure to watch her footing especially closely as she makes her way away from the monsters, looking over her shoulder to admire its power. She gags on the super heated ashes as they begin to sprinkle down on her, forcing her to put her scarf over her mouth and nose despite her known discomfort of having her airway blocked. For the first time in a long time she feels a sliver of fear, but not from the monster that just laid waste to a massive area in a matter of seconds, it's because her eyes began to bleed, like her followers before they turned. But she didn't turn despite her certainty that she would, and she watched the monster lay waist to everything in its path as it made its way to her former home, a home she could no longer see but knew was there. It had been hours since that monster appeared and the ground had cooled enough for her to lay on, watching the lights flicker in the distance as what she could only guess is that monster laying waist to the dead that plagued Atlanta, probably smashing the city to pieces just as she had seen on T.V. as a child. She looks around at the charred earth around her and sighs, knowing there's nothing to salvage here. She makes her way east, away from her home, away from the monster, away from everything shed every know. She feels uneasy, but settles herself with a simple promise. She'll be back to reclaim her hime, and take back whats been taken from her. She knows it will take time, hell it'll probably take years. 

But she'll be back. 

————————————————— 

The cool air expands through my lungs, rousingly me out of my sleep. I open my eyes, feeling a bit groggy from the energy expandature that the Leviathan requires. The first thing I see is light pouring in from a window, the light is right in my eyes and I turn away from it with a groan. Then I see a glass vase containing flowers on a nightstand next to me, apparently Carl had successfully extracted me from where ever the Leviathan dropped me, and I was now in the medbay of the hilltop. 

**_They could've left a glass of water._ **

_Fuck...you're right. Im thirsty as tits._

**_That..... that doesn't make sense._ **

"Doesn't have to." I croak out and pick the flowers out of the vase, tossing them on the ground as I gobble down the water inside of it. 

"Ahh, thats some good water." 

I get out of bed and stretch, touching my palms to the ground before flipping myself into a back arch, my vertebrae popping from the sudden movement. I look around the med bay, Im alone except for a certain something sitting on a leather chair across from my bed. 

"Bearverly?" I squeal and pick the stuffed bear up, hugging it tightly to my chest. "Im sooooo sorry I left you at the Kingdom." I apologize before realizing it was a inanimate fucking object I was apologizing to. I chuckle to myself and make my way to the medbay exit, the wind ruffles my hair when I open the door and I realize it's gotten longer. 

_How long was I out?_

The voice in my head gives off a annoyed growl before replying. **_I don't know! You know when you sleep I sleep too!_**

_I didn't know that actually. isn't it kinda your job to keep track of that sort of stuff?_

**_Nope._**

I roll my eyes as Fenrir runs up to me, jumping into my arms a nearly sending me onto my ass. "H-hey boy." I greet the dog as he licks my face, making me look away from him. " I missed you too." I put the dog down and he does some happy yips, running around in the grass patches of the hilltop. 

Where is everyone? 

I wonder around the outside of the hilltop, searching the inside perimeter for some sign of life, or at least some indication of where the group had gone off too. There's no sign of a attack, no destruction, the grass isn't even burned so I doubt they were wiped out or anything. 

"Hello?!" I yell into the air "Anybody home?" I hear one second story windows of the large house slide open and a mans head peeks out, staring down at me. "Oh, hello Rick." 

"Good to see you up and about...." the man says while leaning out of the window, smiling down at me. "Some of us we're starting to wonder if you'd wake up again." 

I tilt my head "How long was I out?" 

"Bout a week, maybe a little longer." 

"Ohhh.... thats not too bad." 

**_Yeah that sounds about right._ **

"Where is everyone? Did they die?" 

"What? No they're at the Kingdom!" 

"Why though?" 

"Im pretty sure they're running repairs." 

"Why aren't you there?" 

"I got shot." 

"Oh..." I say with a chuckle, just the way he said that was funny, so casual about the whole thing. Hmmmmm come to think of it he's probably been shot before. 

"Well that makes sense. Hold on Im coming up." 

"Front doors un-..." I use my psionic abilities to scale the building and hang off the open window before he can finish his sentence. "Locked." He finishes and moves out of the way so I can squeeze through the window, rolling onto the floor and popping back to my feet. 

I notice the baby sitting on the floor, coloring with some crayons and giving me a surprised look, startled by my entrance. "Oh.. Hello there little one." I greet the infant and lay on my stomach next to her. "Whatcha drawing?" 

The child doesn't answer and goes back to her drawing, making scribbles of various colors on a plain sheet of white paper, I glance at Rick for a moment before I'm interrupted. 

**_Wait! Go back._ **

I feel my eyes pulse and look back at the Childs drawing, scanning the various scribbles and colors in its abstract design. As I scan I notice a pattern.... a language. "Ohhh." 

"What?" Rick says, crouching next to us and looking at the drawing before turning his attention to the child. "You know, your big brother used to draw the same thing when he was your age." 

"Did you know it was Sumerian?" 

"Ummm.... no? What is that?" 

"Its the language my data is written in, I see it in every dimension i travel to." 

**_Well you remember that at least._ **

_Don't be snarky._

_"_ Do you have anymore of her drawings?" 

"No, our house was destroyed remember?" 

Oh yeah thats right, some niggas with grenade launchers I think. 

"Shit...I mean shoot. Fuck, sorry." 

"Its fine." 

I turn my attention towards the child rolling oven next to her. "Hey sweetie, you think if I get you some more paper you could draw some more?" The child plays with the red crayon thats in her hand, staring at it as she thinks and then slowly nodding her head, going back to her drawing. I give her a friendly laugh before getting back to my feet, careful not to nudge the baby as I walk next to rick. 

"Bring all her drawings to me." I say glancing at the girl as she colors, putting down her red crayon in favor of a violet one. "I just found my messenger."


	16. Helicopter

It's been seven months since the Saviors and Carmine were last seen, leaving us plenty of time to prepare our defenses and plan battle strategies. And by that I mean we're building trenches in roads and traps in the forest, I don't know much about the armor on this planet but from what I hear its much more advanced then what I've seen in the past, however they've all been track based, we're hoping the trenches will trap whatever comes through those roads, and the forest will act as a barrier. We've re-enforced the buildings around the perimeter wall of the Kingdom, as well as the wall itself. The hilltop however was a bit trickier, It's a bitch to set up defenses in the middle of a valley, at least the Kingdom is in the middle of a town. We built a literal fucking mote around the hilltop, even installed a draw bridge. I had suggested going the extra mile and filling the mote with water and crocodiles but apparently theirs a lack of crocodiles in the area so that idea was out the window. Instead we filled it with walkers.... well what ever walkers we could find, finding the dead had been pretty difficult since the Leviathan came into play. 

I had flown to Atlanta, apparently the city was crawling with them, not anymore it seems. The Leviathan obliterated that whole city, just bits and pieces of debris was all that remained, hell the only reason I knew that was a city is because Toby told me. Anyways, ten foot deep mote filled with walkers, reinforced outer wall, traps in the forest and trenches dug into near by roads, we also planted tripwires and explosives to act as early warning systems. 

More importantly we established a new radio system, we're now able to communicate between the Kingdom and Hilltop, something I was surprised to learn wasn't a factor before. That explains why each settlement was susceptible to attack without the other two factions knowing, and them showing up at Alexandria was just a big coincidence. Ohhhh well, we fixed out little communication problem and now have a vibration federation going! With a lack of hostile activity and a very small amount of walkers the Kingdom and The hilltop were finally able to focus on improving its infrastructure as well as its defenders..... meaning soldiers obviously. 

Our army expanded with our allies, we've taken in two more factions, Oceanside and The Garden. Apparently The Alexandrians have had dealings with Oceanside in the past, taking a fuckton of their weaponry in order to makeup for the firepower they lost to the Saviors. I spent a bit of time there, I have a fondness of the ocean and I enjoy fishing quite a bit, but the people there were generally pretty fucking annoying and I decided it was best to leave before I delivered equal rights and lefts to their faces. 

For those of you who don't get that joke, thats a sexist joke, they're all women and they don't seem to like guys very much. They're like the amazons from Wonder Woman but instead of badass they're annoying and bitch when I sleep on the couch. 

Finding the Garden was just pure luck. I was patrolling one day, flying around and scouting around and what not when I saw a white car driving on a nearby highway, so I followed it. What I discovered was a massive and very complicated settlement. a good portion was on the surface but the bulk of it was underground. I..... persuaded them to let me in and got to meet the leader, Logan Clarke, a biological engineer and National Guardsmen. Turns out a good portion of the American government is still up and running, And Logan was put in charge of this specific facility, one he dubbed the Garden. Apparently its some kind of doomsday vault, one he was supposed to keep isolated from the outside world, using it to restart a section of the world. However, he recently decided to abandon protocol and started exploring the outside world hoping to study the areas affected by the Leviathan attack. The vegetation in those areas had already grown back and had created a diverse ecosystem, with fruit trees sprouting absolutely everywhere. Of course they didn't believe me when I told them I was the Leviathan, no matter how many details I provided. I decided it was best not to argue with them and instead decided to negotiate a alliance, hoping to gain access to their intelligence and personal, a massive force consisting of soldiers and scientists, one hundred and forty three people in total. Naturally, they declined my initial invitation and I ummm..... persuaded them to keep their minds open. 

They met with rick, Ezekiel, Maggie and, much to my surprise, Toby, and discussed terms for a alliance. We will provide information on the outside, meaning walker activity, ecological changes, unusual illnesses and stuff like that. They also asked 'my handler' Toby to "keep me on a leash" meaning they didn't take my threats lightly. In return for our end of the bargain, they will provide military aid should we require it, as well as supplies and training. They're the main reason we've become as prepared as we are. 

The training squad has been doing well, making vast improvements in overall effectiveness, with only a few minor hiccups. I admit I'm not the best when it comes to coordinated attacks, I tend to go off on my own, so Connor has taken the lead as the head combat instructor, while I handled a good portion of the conditioning. Mike shows a decent amount of boxing but we tend to focus on weapons handling and field tactics. I sometimes watch them while they practice and offer personalized advice, I believe a person should focus on their own strengths and learn how to adapt that into the team. 

Jacy has grown exponentially since I met her, using her fathers death as motivation to better herself as a soldier. She's just as accurate as Connor, and has taken a interest in jiu jitsu, something I help her with three times a week. I was concerned about her mental state, she showed complete disregard for her own well being after her father died, constantly planting herself out of cover and failing to check her corners, sometimes zoning out of the present and getting lost in her own head. She confided in me, about her fathers death along with the deaths of the rest of her family, but unfortunately human emotions aren't something I understand completely, prolonged emotions at least. Im not saying I don't feel them, I do, but they never persist for long. Of course I tried my best to help her, but I doubt I did much, So i referred her to Toby and she agreed. They've gotten pretty close actually, spending much of their time together. There have been a couple of rumors that they're no longer just friends, but I really don't care about that stuff. 

However it turns out Felix does, and he seemed a bit upset when he first found out. I first noticed something was up when he snapped at Liam during training, something he never does, and his sudden withdrawal from the rest of the group out of, opting to stay in his room and read comic books. 

Usually id let him work his feelings out on his own, but it was interfering with his performance during training, Which means it will get him or someone else killed in the field and I couldn't allow that. 

My first attempt to reach out to him didn't go so well, he refused to open when I knocked, a process I repeated for a couple of days. Eventually I got fed up and snuck in through the window. He yelled at me, screaming curses at me as I scrambled into his room, narrowly dodging a bottle he chucked at me. Usually, I hurt those who try to hurt me, but at that moment I figured Felix was hurting enough already. I activated my sedative and gave him a hug, keeping my hand on the back of his neck as he struggled, eventually relaxing and crying on my shoulder. 

I don't remember anyone crying on me before, it was uhhhh weird, but I allowed it. After he was done ruining my shirt we had a long talk, about him, about his brother, and about Jacy. The little shit was in love, but the age gap was just too wide and he knows that. He's fifteen and Jacy is twenty two and Toby is nineteen. 

Felix has still shown some signs of depression whenever he sees them together, I think they noticed that and held back on the whole P.D.A thing. Luckily he's not nearly as withdrawn as he used to be, and we've actually gotten pretty close, often eating together and going out on patrol. Sometimes I even bring him with me while I flew my daily flight path, and he says he enjoys the view. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Liam has turned into a surprisingly powerful member of the squad. It caught me by surprise the first time we spared together, the sheer composure that he possesses, and the ability to weave in and out of range without the slightest stutter in his movements, nearly delivering a powerful kick to the side of my head. Usually when spar Im playful and cocky, letting my guard rest by my hips and dancing around, and just generally playing. But Liam has proven to recognize the flaws in that and forced me to spar with a more serious aggression. He's a decent counter striker and a good wrestler, easily the best wrestler in the squad, excluding Connor and I. However, he still has a bit of conflict with pulling the trigger, he's only killed once before and that was to save his twins life. Honestly I feel that when the time for conflict comes, he'll do whats necessary. 

Mike's marksmanship has improved with practice, and his work ethic is second to none, constantly training and trying to better himself with and without the use of weaponry. I work pretty extensively with him, trying to copy his style and adapt it to my own, and in return I've taught him a bit of Judo and Eskrima. I chose Judo instead of wrestling for him because he never shoot in on his targets, as his short arms make that difficult. With Judo he can move inside his opponents range and preform a throw or a trip, sometimes he uses his strength to deliver a slam, but he's aging and can't lift as much as he used to. So he focuses on guns, and the little bit of swordsmanship I've taught him, just basic stuff, no knife throwing, I haven't gotten that down yet and I never practice it. 

It doesn't surprise me that Connor has proven to be a capable leader, both in and out of training. He consistently goes the extra mile for the community, sacrificing a good amount of his free time to help, even going so far as to babysit. He's a excellent marksman and very composed, thinking rational and capable of making split second decisions that could turn the tide in a losing battle. He tried his best to get me to play along in his little team, but as I said before, Coordinated attacks are not my best subject. So he compromised, and the squad takes on more of a support role rather then assault, aiding me in battle rather then fighting along side me, something I agree with. Connor is a brown belt in jiu jitsu and teaches as much as he can. The monks that raised me didn't use a belt system, and Connor spent a decent amount of time to explain it to me. Just thought that was interesting.

Toby seems to have let his role as my 'handler' get to his head, acting more like my mom and less like my friend. One time he even tried to lock me in my room as punishment for kicking a dudes legs out from under him, even though it was just a prank! I just blew the door open and he yelled at me, telling me that I needed to be disciplined. I was quick to remind him I was raised by monks and understand discipline entirely, simply choosing to deny it, saying he hasn't earned the right to discipline me. Our relationship became strained, there was a heavy tension between us and everyone knew it, but it was a hmmm how you say, love and hate sorta thing. Well maybe love and hate are too strong of words, I guess like and dislike are more accurate. We're bonded, not just as friends but psychically as well, able to speak to each other through telepathy and at times I can even visit him in his dreams, which scared even me the first time it happened. 

Anytime anyone has something they want to ask me, they check with Toby first, I gave up trying to understand why. Recently however he's been spending a majority of his time with Jacy instead of me, not wanting me around so they could have their 'alone time' in our room, We fucking share a room and he kicks me out every once in a while. I did say I was ok with watching but ummm they didn't seem to like that. 

I often move from settlement to settlement in order to stave off the anxiety I get from staying in one place, hoping to avoid another panic induced jump like I had months ago. I fly the same route everyday, looking for any sign of Carmines army, so far its been quite and I'm getting impatient. Judith had drawn enough pictures in the last seven months for me to realize that they were numerical codes, ones I can input into my internal computer, finally allowing me to exit this boring ass dimension. The only fucking reason im still here is because Toby asked me to stay, and help deal with Carmine and Negan, and I agreed with him that they wouldn't stand a chance without me. Maybe he was just stroking my ego, or maybe he was being realistic. 

Doesn't matter, either way they would be against a tank battalion, a squadron of Apache gunships, and a mess of infantry, some of which are trained. But I will admit a part of me is staying for a simple, selfish reason. Revenge, Negan tied me up, tried to cut my head off, tried to burn me alive, tried to use me as some sort of zombie cure! Him, and Simon and Eugene and the rest of them! They signed their death warrants the moment they locked me up. 

I keep a strict training regiment going for myself and those I train. I train with Carl in the art of Eskrima everyday, he uses his blades while I simply use sticks. I never train in my combat form, the enhanced strength and speed would compromise my ability to maintain technique, and the form is simply too powerful to spar in. I teach him how to maintain a stance, how and when to move his feet, the diagonal motion of the blades and the proper stance to avoid cutting his leg off by accident. His skeleton has hardened to be nearly indestructible, and his body has become extremely powerful both is sheer strength and stamina. He can now toss a car with ease, able to pick it up and over his head without much strain. He doesn't get tired anymore, rarely sleeping and when he does its never for long. I actually learned a couple of things from him, about the evolved I mean. His vertical leap is a easy thirty feet, but the way he does it is different then Id assumed. When Im in my flesh skin I Cant jump that high on my own, relying on my psionic abilities to manipulate the gravity around me, pushing me up. Carl on the other hand doesn't do this, his body has adapted to be able to do this without psionic aid, which is why his skeleton is so strong now. He's stronger and faster then I am, at least while im in my flesh skin, he doesn't stand a chance against the combat skin, not alone at least. 

I work with the training squad six days a week, running conditioning and recovery drills. I focus on each individual and learn their strengths and weaknesses, helping them adapt themselves and make them stronger as a unit. Im proud of the progress they've made so far, but It all comes down to the real thing. They're strong, but honestly, I don't think they're ready for tanks. 

—————————————— 

**_Movement detected in sector eight! Two objects heading west, probably helicopters._ **

_But I haven't finished my frog!_

**_You'll have time for frogs later!_ **

I let out a groan and place my half finished origami frog on the wooden table, eliciting a confused glance from the Blond sitting across from me. "You're not gonna finish?" Felix asks, waving his own paper frog in the air. 

"Cant, helicopters, gotta hippity hop over to em." 

"Are you gonna blow them up?" 

I shrug and yell, "Maybe!" Before changing into my Combat skin and blasting off into the sky, leaving Felix to finish his frog alone. 

Finally! I was fucking bored of paper frogs and silly drawings. The sooner I can deal with Carmine and the Saviors, the sooner I can get out of this dimension and into the next. 

_Can you operate the radio, Alma?_

**_Well it's not like I can do the fighting._ **

_True._

I see them, two of them, but they dont look like Apache gunships. 

**_I believe they're called 'black hawks'. They're for the transportation of infantry, but it doesn't look like there's too many people on board._ **

_So It's safe to assume they're scouting._

**_Right, they may not even be with the Saviors, could be U.S. military._ **

_I'll just have to take them alive then._

They must have seen me coming, because the door gunner screamed and started firing at me with the side mounted mini gun as I flew towards them at super sonic speeds. The bullets bounced off my shield as I flew, making loud cracking noises on impact. 

"Cunt!" I scream and switch into my flesh skin, gliding into the opening of the helicopter and making it shutter when I landed inside. Three people looked at me while the two pilots focused on not crashing. 

"Freeze! Put your tits where I can see them!" I scream, taking the pistol from his holster and wrapping my arm around his neck, using him as a meat shield. I notice a young girl around eighteen, she almost took her shirt off when I stopped her "Ehh sorry blondie, I meant hands, hands in the air please." 

She complies, but gives me a angry glare as she does it, her bright green eyes piercing into mine. I motion for her and the large man in military fatigues onto their knees. "Who's your leader?" I ask the man who's neck I have in my grasp, noticing he has on a similar uniform as the other man and the two pilots. He doesn't answer, so I repeat myself, a bit louder this time, letting my voice drip with a hint of anger.

This little bitch refuses to answer, and I'm running out of patience. I flex my bicep to cut off the flow of blood to his brain before letting him give himself a concussion on the floor of the helicopter. 

"Alright fagbags!" I scream in frustration, anxious to get the answers im looking for. "You're gonna land this helicopter where I tell you to land it, or imma start slapping some cocks around!" 

"That's pretty gay....." the girl says, the name on he uniform reads 'Hall'. "You didn't even tell us were to land?" 

"First of all I'm bi, so it's only half gay." I reply sarcastically, moving my hips in a sassy manner as I talk. "Second, you see that town down there, pilots? Go there." 

The second black hawk turned back after I hijacked this one, I should've shot that bitch down when I had the chance. I lead them right outside the Kingdom and touched down in a field we use as a gun range. Of course the Kingdom didn't know I was on the helicopter, and it was nice to see the response time, two minutes. 

"Hi." I greet the soldiers as I pull the two pilots out of the cockpit and onto the grass. The Kingdom's infantry recognizes me and lower their weapons, coming to grab the rest of the crew. A man try's to talk to me, but thanks to the helicopters blades spinning over us I can't hear him. I leave the pilots and crew to the mercy of the Kingdom and lead the man far enough away to make out his voice. 

"What should we do with the chopper?" On of the soldiers ask, a adult male, I don't recognize him. He must be the Kingdoms second generation of soldiers, since the first on was wiped out. 

"Keep it..." I tell the man, shrugging my shoulders. "I'll find someone who can pilot it. In the meantime, take those people back to the Kingdom and prepare them for interrogation, I gotta do something first but ill talk to them after." 

He nods and jogs off, leaving me to shift into my combat skin and fly off, making my way back to the Hilltop in hopes of completing my frog with Felix. I fly through the air, breaking the sound barrier several times as I do it. However, it looks like I was too slow, as Felix and my frog are missing from the table. I shift into my flesh skin before gently landing in the dirty and grumbling out a "God damnit." I take a deep breath and make my way towards Felix's room, knowing he's probably there with my frog. 

I don't even bother knocking anymore, he's always here and he always lets me in, even when he's in a bad mood. The room itself was small, but it felt nice, very relaxed and according to the twins, similar to the room they shared before the apocalypse. There's two beds, one for Felix and the other for Liam. There's also a couch, I sleep on it when Toby and Jacy are in my room back at the Kingdom. I have a suitcase full of clothes that we're given to me, apparently these people found my blood crusted clothing uncomfortable to be around and instead of washing them they suggested that I burn them, giving me a surplus of clothing, some of which is too big for me. I also got my Biomesh suit back from the Kingdom, I only wear it during training, the plates make it uncomfortable to sleep in. 

The twins have one closet, and they tend to share each others clothes, except underwear of course. When I opened the door the twins were laying on their stomachs and sharing a comic book, a superman one they've read countless times. They tend to trade comics with Carl, but there's only so many comics left in the world ya know? 

"Hello." The boys say in unison when they see me, making each other giggle. "What happened with those helicopters? Did you blow them up?" 

"I probably should've." I grumble while shutting the door behind me. "But I let one of them get away and apprehended the crew of the other one. They're being prepped for interrogation at the Kingdom." 

Felix gives me a confused eye brow raise "then what are you doing back here?" 

"Well we were gonna finish our origami right?" 

"You came back to finish making a paper frog?" 

"Yeah." 

"You need to get your priorities straight." 

I roll my eyes at the boy, earning a chuckle from Liam before he goes back to the comic, looks like I'll have to finish that frog some other time. 

"You guys wanna come with me?" I ask, making the two of them glare at me in unison. Sometimes I still have trouble telling them apart. 

"And watch you torture people?" Felix mumbles while Liam says "No thank you." 

"You sure? There's a cute girl there and I can maybe get a foursome going." Im only half serious. They giggle at me but decline and I leave to go back to the Kingdom. 

_Perhaps Remiel is up for a song today?_

**_Yeah I'm not sure if they want you hallucinating again, you broke a table last time._ **

Let me explain. Remial is the Kingdoms guitarist, brandishing his telltale chestnut wood acoustic guitar. He's a nice guy I guess, a bit quite, but he doesn't shut up once you get him going on something that he likes, mainly music. 

He was a bit older then Jacy, I assume he's twenty four or five. We don't spend much time together, and I don't know much about his personal life but I feel like I can see his soul when he plays his guitar, pouring passion into it like he'll die if he didn't. The first time I sang with him it was on a dare, Toby bet I wouldn't, not knowing about my love of song. Here's the thing about songs, for most people they're a catchy tune or a coping method at most but for me it's very different. I guess it could be described as a psychedelic, similar to DMT. I see shapes and colors and hear voices, my emotions are stronger and I tend to dance around a lot more then usual, letting the rhythm posses me. I also sometimes see people from my past, my friends, my enemies. It can get scary, but I know its not real. 

There will be time for song and dance later, right now I need to probe for information. 

I touch down at the Kingdom and make my way to the makeshift prison, three rooms in total, one guy has his own cell while the rest have to share with one other person, I make my way to the building and the armed guard opens the door for me, granting me access. I hop on my feet, trying to get my mind off of music and onto the task at hand while Alma gives me a pep talk. 

**_You need to be mean!_ **

_Mean!_

**_You need to get angry!_ **

_Grrr!_

**_You need to show those mother fuckers whos boss!_ **

_Who's boss!?_

**_Who's the boss!?_ **

_Im the boss!_

**_Who's mean !?_ **

_Im mean!_

**_Who's aggressive!?_ **

_Im aggressive!_

**_Show me how aggressive you are!_ **

_Aggghhhhh!_

I scream and kick open the door, startling the tied up man inside as I charge forward. I scream "Bitch!" And punch the man in the face, knocking him out and ruining the interrogation. 

**_Okay! Too aggressive, tone it back a bit._ **

****

_Yeah I got carried away._

**_You didn't even ask him anything._ **

_Yeah I ummm I just noticed that._

**_You broke the door too._ **

_Well.... there's plenty of doors in the world ._

The guard who was standing Right outside the building came charging in, gun raised as he turns the corner into the room. "What. The. Fuck!" He yells, dropping the barrel of his weapon once he recognized me. 

I stutter for a response for a moment before admitting "I went overboard and knocked him out." 

"Yeah! Yeah you did!" He says and puts his hands behind his head, scanning the broken door with his eyes. "You broke the door! It wasn't even locked!" 

"Yeah I ummm I didn't check." 

The man mutters something under his breath, something like 'I cant believe this shit'. I give off a apologetic giggle and wiggle myself out of the room, leaving the man to clean up the splintered remains of the door. 

**_Alright, take this one easier, and DONT kick that fucking door._ **

I turn the handle and peek my head inside, spotting a man and the girl tied up on opposite sides of the room, blindfolded and all. "Good evening." I greet, having exited the hype train that resulted in a broken door. 

"Mphhhh!" The girl grumbles through the gag in her mouth. I chuckle and remove it for her, half expecting a thank you. "You crazy horse back riding, bdsm loving cock enthusiasts! I'll fucking kill you for sticking gags in my mouth without taking me to dinner! Where's my steak at you medieval faggots!" 

"Rude." I say while unraveling the blindfold that was lazily tied around her face. She recognizes me immediately. 

"Well well well, if it isn't blue eyed beautiful." She greets and rolls her eyes. "What do you want with little old me?" 

"Today we'll focus on what I need and leave the wants for later?" I say giving her a wink "so, ms....." 

"Maggie, maggie hall." 

"Hmmmm we already have a Maggie, hows Mags?" 

"She can be Mags! Im Maggie, thats my FUCKING name!" 

Ohhh, this ones feisty. Theres something annoyingly appealing about that."But I knew her first.... seniority ya know?" 

"FUCK her SENIORITY! My name is my name so call me by MY fucking NAME!" She screams at me, making a portion of my blood boil. I hate when people yell at me, it feels like they're challenging me. I noticed on the helicopter that the man across the room has the same name printed on his uniform 'hall', he also has the same, bright green eyes. That man is Maggies father. 

"Do you like magic, Maggs?" She doesn't reply, doesn't even look at me, keeping her gaze fixated on the ceiling. "Maggie?" 

She catches me in her sights and says "Hmmm? Yes? You have something to ask me?" In a emotionless accent. This girl is gonna be the death of me. 

"Do you like magic?" 

"Yes!" 

"Then watch this." I feel a heat radiating from my hands and a small blue flame dances in my palm, mesmerizing the girl in front of me. 

"What the fuck?" 

"Yeah...."I let the blue flame dance with my fingers, letting it grow incrementally. "I've only met one other person that could do this, he was a good friend of mine, cant remember his name though." 

"Remind me to never let you finger me." 

"Why would I wanna do that?" I said in a flirtatious voice, my Afrikan accent fading into a American one. "Maybe I plan to have some fun with you later?" 

"Hmmmm it does sound hot." 

The flame in my hand grows and shimmers a searing heat radiates through the room. "Speaking of hot, do you want to guess how hot this flame is?" 

"Hmmmm a thousand degrees?" 

"Closer to three thousand....." I say, letting my natural accent com back into my voice. 

"Whoah! Thats fucking crazy." She says with mock enthusiasm, making my blood boil again. 

Well, if thats how you want it...... 

"So..." I say, letting the flame dance. "Where are you guys from? You with Carmine?" 

"I'm with your mama." 

Hmmm. I let the flame shoot up, impacting the ceiling and spreading above the room. The room turns into a oven in seconds. 

We lock eyes, its a battle of wills, mine versus hers, a unfair battle, but her eyes tell me she's willing to fight it. Pain isn't something I usually feel, and that includes fire. You cant burn me. 

Put me in the oven, douse me in lighter fluid, throw me in lava, and I will emerge unharmed. I have no idea why.

"Ahhhhh STOP!" The girl begs and I let up slightly, letting us catch our breaths. "Okay okay! I'll tell you what you wanna know! Fuck James anyways! That tyrannical piece of shit!" 

"James Carmine, so you do know him?" I want clarification and she nods, giving it to me. "Where is he?" She takes some time to catch her breath and I allow it, the man behind me however seems to be having more trouble, a gag still in his mouth. I sigh and un wrap his gag, giving him the gift of oxygen like the generous man I am. 

"Where?" I growl, my voice becomes inhuman. 

"It's Fort Benning." She says and I realize that even when she tells me what I wanna know, I don't know what she means. 

"Whats fort benning?" 

"Its a Military base? In Georgia? Right now its the largest in the state." 

The largest? Does that imply there's more? Is the garden one of them? Will they betray us when they find out they will be fighting against their fellow soldiers? Or will they stand with us? They have to know I'll hunt them down if they betray us, right? Do they care? Do I? 

"What were you doing in that helicopter? What's your mission?" Im assuming its a scouting mission, hunting for us? 

"Some time ago, there was this thing..... We don't know what it was, but we knew it was bad, we were sent to look for survivors." 

"Well...... here we are." Shit, there were two choppers, what will the second one report? A boy flew into their friend and took em hostage? Negan will automatically assume that it was me and now he has millitary support. Dwight says that he was hoping to use military resources to "unite" the settlements, but would the government go along with that? But now he could play it off as a rescue mission, and that chopper had to of noticed the lack of flood in the area right? The sudden influx of vegetation? Food will grow easier in the areas affected by the Leviathans fire. He could say retaking this area will be vital to food production? Thats two reasons right? 

If I was in charge of the military, I'd take control of the food. People gotta eat right? I would have control of the food and therefor the people who depend on it. They would be forced to comply with me or face starvation. 

Hell Negan is gonna want his Sanctuary back just for the familiarity of it. But its just a farm town now, as well as Alexandria, both just used for crops. The Leviathan burned everything to the ground, the only reason we went through the trouble of re building was for the fucking food provided there! 

Thats three reasons, three good reasons for them to come to us with hostile intent. Im sure Negan is telling command everything else too! How I can fire off a invisible Psionic beam, how I can give people hallucinations, how I can't be kill with conventional weapons. And Carmine will have a hand in the politics of it as well, I did take one of his compounds, as well as beat back the counter assault they launched the next day. Fuck, the flood! They're gonna blame that on me, aren't they? It was MY blood after all! Thats a good enough reason for the military to act on its own! 

"Do you know who I am?" 

The girl gives a chuckle "You're a mutant right? Like Carmine?" 

Like Carmine? 

"What do you mean? How am I like Carmine?" 

"I mean, I've never seen him fly like that before, but it wouldn't surprise me." She says non chalet. "Hmmmm... I doubt much will surprise me anymore." 

"What.... what did he do?" 

The girl shakes her head. "Nuh uh, I ain't saying shit till you let me outta these binds and get me something to eat." 

I sigh. 

—————————————————- 

I made two sandwiches, one for me and one for her. I gave her extra tomatoes... she likes tomato.... I don't, its too ummm juicy for the rest of the sandwich. Originally I planned to eat with her outside, but it turns out that dining with a prisoner tends to draw attention, so I brought her to my room, Toby and Jacy are elsewhere. 

"Do you like your sandwich?" I ask, licking my fingers after finishing mine. It was good! Fresh ingredients straight from the Alexandrian safe zone. 

Turns out she doesnt have a habit of talking with her mouth full, so I have to wait for her to swallow. "Yeah, its alright." She says, taking small meticulous bites instead of gobbling it down like I tend to do. Ahhh you know, now that I think of it I should've put a egg in that sandwich, eggs sound good right now. Maybe Felix will get some with me later? It's fun watching him freakout when the chickens attack him. Fuck, I love the farm, its so relaxing to work with the pigs and the chickens and the few cows we found roaming around. We don't use them for meat, just milk the cows, not enough cows to start slaughtering and even less bulls. Maybe we'll get their eventually but I doubt I'll be here long enough. 

"You zone out alot don't you?" 

"Huh?" I hadn't even realized she had finished her meal, and was now staring at me as I think to myself. "Yeah.... I get told that a lot." 

The girl scoffs but doesn't press the issue. "Alright, You gave me what I wanted and now Ill do the same for you. What are your questions?" 

My questions? Where should I start? Hmmmmmm I know! 

"Tell me about Carmine." 

"Not really a question.... but okay." She takes a deep breath and lays back on my bed, her hands behind her head. 

"Carmine showed up two months ago. He was a soldier, special forces, so we let him in. A couple days after he got their people started.... disappearing. Of course their was no evidence that it was him or any of his new friends but.... some of us had our suspicions. When we confronted him about it he ummm....slaughtered some of us." 

"Did his arms turn into blades by chance?" 

"Yeah.... his whole body changed, hardened, tank shells couldn't even kill him. Some of his friends had knife hands too, but they didn't harden, couldn't even slow em down though. Carmine killed command, killed everyone in charge and took over for them. He controls the entire base now." 

He can harden? I've never seen a evolved develop a combat skin before. It's possible I guess..... does this change things? 

Wait.... others?

"Did you say their were other people that could turn their arms into blades?" 

"Well..... one of them had like a boney rope thing, and another had claws, but the other two had blades... and then there's Carmine." 

"What about Negan? Was he there?" 

"Negan? Yeah, he's right under Carmine. He was actually on that second chopper today." 

Oh fuck, of course he was. 

"You don't seem to like Carmine, why follow his orders?" 

She makes a scoffing noise before talking. "You really think I was planning on going back to that psychopath? We were running away from him. As far as the fuel would carry us that is, Negan would've turned back before we did." She stretches her arms and her hand find my Biometalic suit, she pulls it to he for observation. 

"Huh? Whats this? It's heavy." 

"Thats my Biomesh suit, it's armored so yeah, it's gonna be heavy." 

"You wear this?" She asks, her hands tracing the plates and crevices of the suit. "How? Where's the zipper?" 

I take the suit from her and press the buttons, decompressing the suit to be wider. "I can just step into it when its decompressed like this, and then I just press the buttons again and it tightens around me." 

"Put it on!" She says, curiosity in her eyes. "I wanna see how it looks! Put it on." 

"Ehhh ok." I shrug and slip off my shoes, socks, pants and shirt, leaving me in my briefs. I can see her scan my body in the corner of my eye, but don't pay it much mind, focusing on putting on my suit. I press the buttons on my collar bones and the suit tightens around me. "See? Nice right?" I say and spin around, arms out. 

"Hehe yeah very ummm.. can you turn around?" She ask, a smirk growing on her face. I shrug and comply, turning my back to her and nervously moving my hips side to side. 

I look over my shoulder and catch her scanning my body. "What are you doing?" 

Her bright green eyes snap to my cyan ones "Hmmm? Oh Im looking at your butt." She says as if it's obvious. 

"Oh.. okay." I say and give my hips another wiggle, making her giggle. She bites her lip and looks at me. 

"Were you umm.. were you serious earlier when you said you wanted to get hot with me?" 

"Well yeah I..." I suddenly realize that she means sex, and wasn't referring to almost baking her alive. "Absofuckinglutely." Don't judge me! Dates don't really happen in the apocalypse! You fuck before you die and thats it! Dating is a old world idea. 

"Heh well...." She takes her shirt off. Damn! This girls got abs! "You wanna get started?" 

"Yep!" I let out a giggle and decompress my suit shoving it to the ground before climbing in between her legs. 

She pushes herself up on her elbows and kisses me sweetly on the lips, catching me off guard. I don't have anything against kissing, I'm just not used to it ya know? I didn't kiss Toby when we did our dance with no pants. 

"Something wrong?" She asks and I realize I'm just laying on top of her. I respond by grinding myself against her, making her gasp from the friction. She moans "Ahh that's better." Before slamming her lips into mine again, her tongue dancing with mine. I fumble with her bra, struggling with the strap, she giggles and un clasps it for me, tossing it aside. I stop grinning my hips and tug on her camouflage pants, prompting he to lift he butt up so I can pull her pants off, tossing them off the bed. She didn't have any underwear on underneath. Suddenly she performs a very well practiced sweep, ending up on top of me, the military must teach

jiu jitsu. 

"Let me..." She says before pulling my briefs off, leaving us both naked. She straddles me and grabs my member, pointing it at her entrance and rubbing the tip through her folds, making us both shiver. Why isn't she putting it in? 

"Stop teasing!" I whine, bucking my hips up. She giggles and lowers herself slowly...... very slowly..... almost aggravatingly slow. Im a man. Im a fucking man! But I wiggled my legs like a little bitch when she did that, tightening around me when I was all the way in. Gasping with each movement. Once she stretches out a bit, getting more comfortable with me inside her, She moves a little harder, rocking the bed into the wall and making me groan. Unfortunately, its not long before we're interrupted by a sound just outside the door. 

She stops moving her hips and we listen. "Do you hear that?" She whispers and we jump when the door flys open, reveling a very intimate Toby and Jacy, sucking on eachothers faces. We freeze as we watch them, Toby slams Jacy onto his bed and climbs ontop of her, both of them completely unaware of our presence..... until Jacy opens her eyes and spots Maggie sitting on top of me, a nervous smile on her face. 

Jacy lets out a surprised scream making Toby jump and finally notice us. There was a awkward pause between the four of us before Maggie waved "hi, I'm Maggie." 

The couple on the other bed stare at us, digesting the situation. I guess Maggie got tired of playing nice, because she started moving her hips again, making me gasp loudly. Fuck it! Im in this girls guts and I don't care if they watch us. I grab her butt and push my hips up into her, increasing our overall intensity. 

Toby makes a weird groaning sound "Jesus.. really guys?" I was gonna say something but Maggie beats me to it. 

"You do your thing and we'll do ours." She snaps at the boy, earning a angry glare from my 'handler'. 

"Girl, do you even know what your getting into with that boy?"

"Im pretty sure the boy is getting into me." She replies with perfect timing. I giggle at her joke and we high five before going back at it.

Her hips bear down on me, and I cant help but toss my head to the side. Shes very good at this...

Toby and Jacy groan in annoyance and get up. "Whatever, enjoy your dreams." Toby says before leading his girlfriend out of the room, slamming the door behind her and leaving us to our fun. 

"F-finally!"

————————————————— 

We had just finished our fourth..... or fifth session. I'm not sure... they kinda just blend together past a certain point. We decided that my bed could only take so much bouncing before it collapses, so we moved to Tobys. Little shit wants to lock me outta my room? Fine, enjoy your wet spot bitch. Ok maybe I'm being petty, but fuck it if I wanna fuck in his bed imma fuck in his bed! He's probably fucked Jacy in my bed so imma even the score. 

I feel Maggie take a deep breath under me. "Are really zoning out ontop of me?" I just giggle and roll off of her, a sticky sound coming from between us as our skin separates.

We lay there for some time, maybe ten minutes, just hearing each other breath. It was nice, I usually don't like staying cooped up in my room for too long, but I must admit to myself that I feel.... Whats the word? Relaxed.

"Your pals... the ones from your base.... they'll be coming for us wont they?" I ask, remembering the reason Im here. 

"Definitely, probably pretty soon." 

"Alright lets make a deal." 

"What kind of deal?" 

"I'll handle Carmine and the rest lf his evolved. You and your helicopter crew help my friends from the sky. Deal?" 

She shrugs but nods. "Alright, you got my help mutant boy."


	17. War

Invasion was always apart of their plan. It had to be didn't it? They moved much quicker then I was expecting, using chinooks to get their armor within range. It's my fault they've gotten this far, I wasn't paying attention. By the time Toby's nightmares started they were close, ten miles from the Alexandrian safe zone. It was three in the morning when we ordered evacuations, the few people who still lived in Alexandria had to flee before those humvees destroyed them, most of them made it... but not all of them. 

Im not worried about the Humvees, hell Im not even worried about the company of fourteen tanks rolling our way. Im worried about Carmine, and the four other evolved he has with him. The problem I'm having is identifying them, evolved look the same as normal humans, and I don't wanna risk Fenrir getting close enough to smell them, Ive had him flying over them ever since they showed up last night. 

I know Eugene is here, I know Negan is in one of those tanks, and I know Carmine is here, hidden in one of those tents, hiding from my view. 

They've already taken the Alexandrian safezone, and a small detachment of two tanks and eight foot soldiers are in route to Sanctuary, we evacuated them too. However, before our farmers left, they booby trapped the area with explosives, hopefully it will take out those tanks or at least stall them.

**_The black hawk crew is ready, but Those Apaches will tear them apart if you don't deal with them first. Fenrir can take out some of them from his current position using archer missiles._ **

_Do it._

**_Archer missiles inbound, standby._ **

I bang on the side of the bus to alert the driver that they're clear to leave. The bus one of many, all of them full with those whom are either to sick, old, or incapable of fighting. They're being taken to the Kingdom, our most secure location. Ezekiel is leading his army to his designated combat zone. Rick is inbound to Sanctuary to deal with the few hostiles in that area, he'll join me when I give the order. Maggie herself has moved to the Garden, her and her child, Hershel JR. however, Jesus is commanding the Hilltop in her place. I didn't wanna risk her death right after the child's birth. 

"Squad one, Whats your status?" I radio in to my training squad, lead by the one and only Connor Lane. 

"We're still in foxhole fourteen, got eyes on three tanks, looks like they're fueling up." 

"Alright, stay hidden, wait for them to trip the defenses." 

Foxhole fourteen is located about three miles west of Alexandria, Im not sure whats in that area, didn't exactly explore it before the Leviathan burned it to ashes. 

**_Two Apaches down! Three more to go! Swat them outta the sky!_ **

_Right._

"Squad 3 I'll be overhead in... i'd say three minutes. Imma slap some sky asses for ya, you know what to do when I get there." 

"Roger doger, slap em silly alien." 

"Fuck you Dwight." I laugh.

I know what you're thinking. Why the fuck is Dwight, a former savior, in charge of squad three? Well there's a simple answer to that question, he isn't, he just has the radio. Why does he have the radio? I don't know, I didn't give him the radio. However it seems like the leader of squad three, U.S. Navy Seal chief petty officer Kane Nixon must have given it to him. 

Squad three is closest to the Alexandria Safe zone, and is made of mostly of special forces. Seals, Delta, Marine force recon, the best this world has to offer... all at my disposal. But thats not why I have them there, they also have the most high tech equipment, and we left a little present for Carmine in the tunnels under the Alexandria safe zone. 

"Wait for me to be overhead before you do your thing, squad three! Hold your fire!" I say, and shift into my combat skin, taking off into the sky. If i had a theme song it would be playing right now and I'd look epic as fuck! Unfortunately that is not the case...... I should get a theme song one of these days..... from the theme song store. 

I wonder what my theme song would sound like? Probably some sort of heavy metal rift. Maybe I would have three theme songs? I mean I have three forms dont I? It would make sense for each form to have its own song. I think the combat form would be all heavy metal and badassish, but the flesh skin would be a bit more... trepidatious in comparison, a bit more danceable... a good time. It would be energizing and upbeat, and I feel like a violin would be involved. It would be the type of song that would make people want to get up and dance! It would be party music! 

The Leviathan would be scary, orchestral based music. It would be very loud and chaotic, creating a sense of anxiety and fear in anyone who listens to it. It would signal the end lf the world...... I mean to these people that ship has already sailed. But to other people! The unseen observers! It would give them the heebie jeebies! 

**_Stop zoning out idiot! You passed the combat area!_ **

_Huh? Oh right._

I flip a bitch in the air and notice the tree Apaches in the distance, they definitely noticed me. You wanna know how I know? Because one of them had already fired off a sidewinder, the missile was blasting towards me at a air shattering speed. 

"Oh shit!" I gasp and roll, narrowly avoiding the sidewinder as it bumps off the armor on my knee, knocking one of its rear rudders and causing it to spin into the ground, exploding on impact. Shit, those Apaches are packing heat! But at least their attention is on me.

"Now squad one!" There's a small delay between when I give the order and when its executed, but Im glad to see the plan finally play out. 

The earth cracks before the explosion burst through the ground, swallowing up the mass of infantry and machinery beneath me. Small collections of fragmentation explosives fire off in various sections of the area as well, adding more chaos as squad one fires smoke grenadines and rockets through the small openings in their foxhole, hidden under vegetation. "Good shit squad 1! Fenrir will cover your retreat through the trenches!" 

"Roger Spartan, we're Oscar Mike to bravo zone." The chief petty officer Nixon replies having apparently taken the radio back from Dwight. Now its my turn to shake things up a little. 

I put my head down and fly helmet first through the side of the lead Apache in the triangle formation, switching my right arm into my whip fist as I do it. The impact doesn't hurt, the shields systems hardening before the impact, splitting the metal like a battering ram would do to a wooden door.

I spin around in the air and launch my whip through the twin engines under the rotator blades of one of the Apaches, using my inertia to spin while I pull the helicopter closer to me, slamming it into the other helicopter and detaching myself before Im pulled down with them as they descend into the fire and smoke and death below us. And from the sound of Conners voice on the radio, I beat them right in the nick of time! 

"Dindu!" Connor whisper screams into his walkie talkie, a dull roar in the background. "The tanks are moving! Whats your E.T.A?" 

"Give me hmmmm..... twenty seconds." I reply and climb altitude, they got tanks right? Imma see if I can cut through em. I fly over the area and spot the group of three tanks, a trail of dust following them as the slowly make their way over the brush. I fly straight down and change my arm into the single massive blade capable of dealing a solid slice through the tanks armor. 

"Yeet!" I scream as I descended on the tank like a fat kid descends onto a chocolate cake. My blade smashes into the armor, and instead of slicing like a knife through butter, it kinda ripped it apart, messily like a.... like something messy. Insert your own analogy I can't think of one, kinda busy here. 

"What the fuck?" The man sitting in the gunner seat of the tank behind me screams, catching my attention. We freeze for a second, waiting to see what the other will do. Im pretty sure he thinks if he stays still I cant see him. 

"I see you!" I scream, reveling in his panicked stare as I rotate my wrists, revealing two massive claws. As he cocks his mounted machine gun I slam my claws into the dirt beneath us, causing a eruption of crystallized stalactites to pierce the tanks from underneath, ripping it apart as it expands. "Thats two." 

One more. 

The third tanks lacks the trepidation that last one did, and fires at me with its massive cannon, knocking me to the ground as the shell smashes into my armor, momentarily overloading my shield systems. I scrambled to my feet and fly forward, grabbing the tanks cannon and ripping it off the turret ring and revealing the two crew members previously hidden in the tanks shell. A growl leaves my throat as I slam the shell with the massive turret, smashing the tank apart with the big gun. Those cunts shot me! I've never been shot with a tank-shell before! Broke my fucking shield, now they'll have to recharge.

"Fuck you, you fucking fuck!" I scream as I repeatedly slam the turret into the shell, crushing the crew inside and quelling my rage. I toss the turret to the side and walk of the the foxhole containing most of my training squad, Carl is with his dad near sanctuary, they're probably already in combat, I'm not sure, Its Almas job to monitor comms traffic and Im not to be disturbed unless it's important. 

"You alright squad one?" I ask and they pop their heads into view, looks like everyone is alive. I see a thumbs up by who Im assuming is Liam, Felix usually flips me off. "Alright, Cmon out, we gotta move." 

Toby scrambles out of the hole and walks up next to me. "Whats the deal?" He asks "you're walking with us? Don't you wanna fly overhead and give us pointers?" 

I shrug and swing my rifle off my back, keeping it ready against my shoulder."I'll scout ahead... but keep low, not alot of cover out here. Scan your sectors and be ready! Squad three already fell back so we're gonna stay low until Squad four and six give us the signal for the pinture movement." 

The plan is simple, but I believe it will work, those months of planning would be wasted otherwise. We had spent a good amount of time gathering debris to plant around the area, leaving the Alexandrian safe zone clear. It was bait, we knew that they had air transportation, so we left them a landing zone. We had set up a series of foxholes and under ground tunnels that would be invisible from the air. We let then land at the Alexandrian safe zone, waited for them to show thier capabilities, and draw out their air forces. Once I dealt with the Apaches, the ground teams went to work, firing from the foxholes and setting off traps.

Obviously fighting tanks with infantry would spell disaster for us, thats why once the initial strike took place, our forces would fall back through a series of tunnels, some of which go nowhere and are designed to confuse and deter any hostile footmen who may be in pursuit. 

There are three power players on our side of this fight. The first one, obviously, is me. Carl and Fenrir are the other two. Carl is dealing with the Saviors who were dispatched the the east, towards sanctuary. He might be dead..... tank shells hurt and he doesn't even have a armored skin, but Imma be optimistic and assume he's alive. Fenrirs job isn't as back breaking as mine or carls, but its still incredibly important. Its a simple job, one a super advanced alien dog can do. He must provide cover for retreating forces, providing heavy weapons cover and artillery, drawing a majority of the fire and luring hostile forces to designated ambush areas, allowing us to flank them. We'll swallow them up! And kick em in the cunts! 

_Is the black hawk team ready?_

**_They will be.... in ten minutes._ **

"Team four, status?" 

There's a anxiety inducing pause before Rick, the leader of team four finally responds. "Were just finishing up, hows things on your end?" 

"Doing good, just cleaned up the western flank and team one already dealt with their section, only a matter of time until we can go for the kill, be ready!" 

————————————————— 

The thing about war is it isn't just constant chaos. Battles are long and take time, often getting eerily quite, and thats just as dangerous as the bullets flying overhead. Silence gives the soldier time to think, time to comprehend, and time to question the plan. This often times leads to panic, even the most hardened soldier can succumb to the threats presented by their own mind. And here I am, with a bunch of kids, a bunch of scared kids. 

"Liams having a panic attack!" Toby whispers to me, prompting me to look back at the boy being forced into his brothers arms, his rifle and tact- vest had been kicked away from him, and was laying in the dirt. 

"God damnit." I whisper, switching into my flesh skin, this is gonna need a personal touch. "Spread out, keep your eyes open." The squad spreads out, leaving me Felix and Liam in the center of the diamond formation. Liam was taking short, shallow breaths as his twin held him close, keeping his head in the crook of his neck. 

"Whats wrong?" I ask, sneaking up beside the two boys. 

Felix acknowledged my presence but focuses on Liam, running his fingers through his hair and gently massaging his scalp with his fingers in a circular motion. "He's okay, he's just a little freaked out." 

A while ago Felix told me that Liam was terrified of me. Im not sure what that mean, but I know I need to be extra careful with him, and make sure I don't raise my voice, it scares him. 

**_Sedative activated._ **

"Hey buddy." I say with an American accent and wrap my arms around his torso from behind. I use an American accent to avoid overlapping voices, the two different pitches that sometimes happen when I talk, making it sound like two different people talking at the same time. 

"Are you okay Liam?" I squeeze his and rub my cheek on his shoulder. 

"Mmmhhmm." The boy said still burying his face in his brothers neck. "You're just scary is all." 

Wow thanks. 

"That's alright." I say and sneak my hands under his shirt, placing my palms on his sides under his ribs. He jumps at the initial skin contact, but the sedative quickly does its job, relaxing the boy in seconds. Toby and I know that the sedative works through skin contact, but I just realized no one else does, so when Felix sees me essentially groping his brother during his anxiety attack he's understandably confused. 

"Umm what are you doing?" Felix asks and pushes me away from his brother, making me chuckle. 

"Relax" i say holding my hands up. "I need skin contact for the sedative to work." 

"Its true." Toby says, not taking his eyes off his sector. "He's done it to me before too." 

Felix takes in the information, but still gives me a skeptical glare, the kind with his eyes half closed like he's having trouble seeing. "Okay.... do you have to touch him like that though?" 

"Would you rather have me jack him off?" 

Liam laughs against his brothers shoulder and shoots me a playful look, I think my joke worked for the most part. I mean the goal was to lighten the boys mood and I think I've done that. 

"Yeah Dindu, just jack me off in the middle of a war why don't cha." Liam laughs and rubs his red eyes, drying his tears. I give the boy a half smile and run my hand through his hair, enjoying the feeling between my fingers. "I'm sorry I called you scary." The boy apologies, catching me a little off guard.

"Its fine, Im a lit...." I feel something hot trailing against my skin, but I'm not sure what it is. It starts at my side and trails up my body towards my head. I look into the brush for a few seconds and then I see him. "Oh hai." 

The bullet strikes my forehead, making me stumble back and let out a gasp as I fall onto my back. "Well that's a concussion." I groan, a bit of blood pouring into my eyes.

"Sniper! Hit the deck!" Screams Connor as he and everyone else jumps flat to there stomachs. I wait for my head to stop spinning before I stumble to my feet, receiving a bullet to the chest plate of my mesh suit and falling flat on my back again. 

"One more time!" I whisper to myself and get up again, rolling out of the path of the bullet as the sniper tries picking me off for the third time. "Juked!" I scream and roll towards Liams discarded firearm, putting the butt to my shoulder and letting a few rounds off in the snipers direction, inducing a eruption of blood and shattering his spine. "Bingo bango bongo!" 

I began a happy little dance, triumphantly shaking my hips from side to side and throwing my ass in a circle. And you know what happened? I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with "recond piper."

"Ooph!" I groan as the bullet from a second sniper scrapes my throat, leaving a nasty scratch with burned skin near my wind pipe. How many fucking snipers can be here? Fuck playing fair! Imma show these faggots what a alien can really do! 

"Djimon transform!" I scream and fade away into distortion, emerging all big and armored and full of rage. I use thermal vision to finally spot that second sniper, dudes wearing a bush to blend into the vegetation. I sprint forward and jump, launching myself in the direction of said bush sniper. I use my boosters to jet forward, slamming my fists into the ground creating a bio magnetic shockwave, launching the sniper a few feet away from where he originally laid. 

"Open fire!" A man in the distance screams, and a volley of fire slams into me, activating my shield systems from the sheer amount of projectiles being launched into me. 

**_Get to cover stupid!_ **

"Right!" I acknowledged out loud and sprint forward, smashing into a approaching humvee and knocking it on its side before swinging my rifle off my back. 

The scientists at the Garden took a look at me and my weaponry a while back and decided that my rifle fires a sort of "magnetic-light bolt". Do I know what that means? No. 

Do I care? Not entirely. 

**_Is now the time for this?_ **

_Not at all._

Ten to my left including one Humvee. Eight more close behind, one tank in the distance, past the forest. Gonna need to get creative for this one. Hmmm so many choices so little time. 

I spin the revolver built into the underside of my rifle, picking which slot I should use. "Hmm this one sounds fun." 

**_Activating pressure grenade._ **

I peak around the turned over humvee and pull the secondary trigger, letting off a ball of black light.... or absence of light at the group of soldiers taking cover behind the approaching humvee. I slink back into cover and let the grenade do the work. 

The pressure grenade works like this. You know how if you go deep sea diving they tell you not to go flying on the same day. Its kinda like that, minus the fun of seeing eels or sharks and instead of flying your on the ground, writhing in pain. Nitrogen bubbles begin forming in your blood stream, affecting all of your organs. 

"Enjoy your decompression sickness!" I growl out just before the black ball does its job and collapses in on itself, changing the atmospheric pressure within a forty foot radius and making every single soldier collapse as well as ripping the windshield off the humvee infront of them. Opportunity! I peak out and fire a volley of hard light at the humvee and its occupants, mowing them down as the cool kids would say. 

"The master marksman smells cum in the water." I whisper to myself as I set my sights on a fleeing soldier, stumbling though the forest towards the tank on the other side. "He strikes." I growl and pull the trigger, firing a shot that splits the man in half. The tanks cannon turns towards me and I prepare for what's coming, ducking right under the shell as it barrels past me into the forest, smashing into a cluster of trees. 

**_Activating M.A.C cannon._ **

I hold the second trigger, making the revolver spin slowly, quickly accelerating until its a blur under the rifle barrel. It quickly syncs with my armors shield systems, and a dull blue glow radiates in the air around me, circling around me as my shields go into overdrive. I aim at the tank and release the trigger, firing a massive magnetic blast into it ,smashing into the tank and igniting its munitions, making explode into a massive fireball. The M.A.C cannon is super powerful, unfortunately it also depletes my shields for a solid forty seconds, leaving me Flightless and vulnerable to heavy munitions. 

All hostiles down. "Good job, me." I say to myself and jog back to my friends. "Everyone alright?" I ask the group of sprawled out people. 

"Sound off squad one!" Connor orders, reaffirming his role as squad leader. 

"Toby here!" 

"I got a fucking splinter in my god damn leg!" Screams Jacy, and by splinter she doesn't mean a small one, she essentially got shanked in the calf, the chunk of wood actually went through her pants and embedded itself into her calf. Besides her everyone else seems okay. "Leave it in!" 

"Jacy, we cant leave it in, It'll turn septic." Toby says as he holds her down by her wrists. "Do it now Connor!" 

"Alright, sorry Jacy!" The man says and pulls the wooden chunk out of her leg, a piece of tendon snapping with it. Jacys leg spasms for a second before she starts screaming, the pain from the tendon shooting up he leg as she trashed around in Tobys grip. 

"Get the FUCK off me!" She screams and Toby rolls off her, letting he curl up and clutch her wounded leg. 

"So ummmm can you still fight?" I ask, Im pretty sure I know the answer already but I better make sure. 

"No I can't still fight you stupid motha fucka!" She screams at me momentarily forgetting her pain and replacing it with rage, I shrug and move away from he, looking through the tree line. We still have work to do, but we cant bring Jacy in her current condition. 

"Maggie, can you hear me?" 

"Everything alright Dindu?" Maggie replies, but its the wrong Maggie.

"I mean Maggie Hall." 

"What do you want alien boy?" 

Yep thats her. 

"We need a med-evac at zone eight..... please." 

I hear her groan on the radio before replying "I already have a full load, you're gonna have to hold out for a while?" 

"A full load? Why? What happened?" 

"Team six was wiped out along with most of team five, Carmine pushed through sectors two and six..... you didn't know that?" 

"No I didn't fucking know that!" I scream, team five was led by Ezekiel, I like Ezekiel. Im not gonna ask if he's dead until after this is over, I can't afford to get distracted right now. I take a deep breath "when do you think you'll be able to get here?" 

"Well we have to go back to base and unload, so I'd say fifteen minutes." 

Sigh. "Roger that."

Connor motions next to me to get my attention and I squat down next to him. "The hilltop is defenseless with sectors two and six unchecked like that, you're gonna have to go their without us." 

"But what about the pinture maneuver? You cant cover this side by yourselves." 

"We can get ourselves outflanked if you don't deal with sectors two and six. I'm sorry son, but this is our best option." Shit, he's right. We'll lose the hilltop and get outflanked, and then whats to stop them from taking over the Kingdom? Can I even cover those two sectors at the same time? There's still those evolved at play too. Mhhhhh. 

I get back onto my suits internal radio and transmit to Rick, I have a idea... but its all or nothing. "Rick? Where are you? Is Carl with you?" 

"We're moving down the highway, and yeah he's with me..... why?" 

"Stay where you are! Im coming to you!" I say and turn off the radio, Carls not gonna like this. I turn to look at my friends for perhaps the last time. "Good luck squad one!" 

I cheer and zoom off into the sky, leaving them perplexed.

—————————————————-

"This is so stupid." Carl says as he grabs me around the neck, hugging himself against me tightly. "I don't like this plan....... like at all." 

Rick gives me a worried sideways glare before saying "You sure you know what you're doing, thats my son you got their." 

"It'll work, we're gonna even the odds." I say while hugging carl to me and slowly levitating off the highway road, zooming into the sky. "You ready team three?" 

"Define ready?" 

Okay, Maybe its not a solid plan, maybe its a hail Mary at the very best. But its the only plan I have right now. The plan is team three waits for Carl and I to fly over head, and drop into the battalion of tanks beneath us. At that point I'll distract the tanks while Carl rips open their hatches and deals with the crew inside them, at that point team three will takr command of some of the tanks, using them against the Saviors. The biggest problem is we don't have enough soldiers to fill the needed crew for the tanks, so they're gonna be immobile. But the guns will work and thats what we need right now. 

**_Archer missiles on standby, I'll fire on your que._ **

_Is Fenrir ready?_

**_He's locked and loaded._ **

"Team three, commence attack in thirty seconds." 

"Right, good luck spartan." 

I give Carl a little shake and he groans at me, looking down at the cluster of tanks below us, I know he's anxious, I am too. 

"Ready Carl?" 

The boy takes a deep breath and pauses before nodding. I throw him a good hundred feet straight up before letting my boosters go cold, allowing me to plummet straight down. I grab the rifle off my back and fire a few electo-smoke bombs below me, creating a blanket of smoke that thermal sensors wont be able to see through, rendering the tanks blind. 

**_Archer missiles away!_ **

The balls of blue light zoom by me and smash into two of the tanks below me, destroying them instantly. Now its my turn to enter the fray. I speed up and flip so I land feet first directly ontop of my targeted tank, flattening it and killing most of the crew inside, excluding the driver. I grab whats left of the tank and spin like a hammer thrower, launching it into the other tank next to me, toppling it over. As you can probably tell, the tanks aren't the threat, the evolved are. And all this destruction is to lure them out. Its only a matter of time. 

The smoke doesn't last long, which is good because I'm blind when Im in it. Unfortunately, once it clears the tanks can see too. The tanks open fire on my position, and I roll out of the way of their shells but the machine gun fire still hit me, activating my shield systems. 

And thats when Carl descends from the sky, ripping open the top hatch of one of the tanks and jumping into the armored vehicle, killing the crew inside with his blades.

"Ouch! You dick!" I scream and charge forward at the tank, grabbing ahold of it and flying a hundred feet up into the air, dropping once I think it'll hurt. Maybe dropping a sixty eight ton tank on a field occupied by friendly forces isn't the best idea, but it sure feels good. 

"Take cover team three!" I yell into my suits radio as the tank plummets to earth, smashing into pieces on impact. 

"God damnit Djimon how the fuck are we supposed to commender those tanks if you fucking destroy them all!?" Chief Nixon screams at me. Damn, he's never actually called me by my real name before. "No more smashing!" 

"Fine" I growl out, descending from the sky and circling the cluster of tanks below me, their guns struggling to keep me in sight. "No more smashing." 

Why the fuck didn't I give Carl a radio? I have no fucking clue where he is right now, and how is team three gonna know when he's cleared out a tank? Stupid mistake, me! 

"Ohhh which one is he in?" I whisper to myself while flying in circles, looking for carls stupid face to pop outta one of these vehicles. "Fuck it! Team three be ready, Im clearing out a tank for ya." 

"Alright, were ready for ya." 

I go fucking turbo and launch straight up into the air, letting my jets cool when im high enough. Same plan as last time, launch a couple electro smoke bombs as I fall, minus the smashing of a tank. 

"Whoah!" I gasp, and realize I'm moving much too fast, i make a split second decision to smash into the ground next to the tank instead of ontop of it. I roll with the inertia before flipping onto the tank, using memory to find the hatch and ripping it open. I switch into my flesh suit, the combat skin wont fit. I wish I brought a pistol or something with me, but I didn't think id need it. 

"Kyah." I scream and punch the guy in the back of the head. 

"Oww! Its me its me!" The boy screams and I realize I just punched Carl in the back of the head. But then I see the two unconscious men on the ground, and I get confused. 

"Carl? Why these dumb hoes alive?" I ask pointing at the two men on the ground. 

"Because..... I didn't wanna kill them." 

"You what!?" I scream, he knows were in the middle of a war right? Is now the time to get so sentimental about life. "Carl.... we talked about this." 

"No!" He yells cutting me off. "YOU talked about it! You didn't care what I thought." 

"And I still dont. Im sorry Carl but we cant afford to get idealistic right now, ideas aren't reality." 

"But they can be!" He says grabbing the tanks radio microphone. "And Im close to making it real! Just give me a chance! Please!" Close to making it real? What does he..... 

"Carl, who have you been talking to?" I ask, letting my voice get serious. he doesn't answer so I take the transmitter from him and push him out of my way, mimicking his voice into the radio. "Hello? Are you still there?" 

There's a moment of silence before the gruff voice rings out on the radio. "Yeah kid, Im still hear." I recognize the voice immediately, fucking Negan. I shoot Carl a very.... Very angry look before going back to the radio. "Where are you? Shouldn't we talk in person?" 

"Yeah, lets meet in the middle of a empty fucking field so your daddy can blow my head off. Sorry kid, but I'm not a fucking idiot." 

"Can you at least tell me which tank you're in? So I can come to you?" 

"Hehe, you must really think im a fucking dipshit. You really think I didn't see you falling from the sky and running around on the field like some sort of fucking power ranger? Why the fuck would I tell you where I am? So we can.... what? Hold hands and sing kumbaiya? We both know thats now how this goes down." 

"See, he gets it." I say over my shoulder to carl, letting my own voice come out. "Negan.... tell me where you are." 

"Well. Looks that was you treating those poor tanks like pancakes, guess I shouldn't be surprised. You're taller then I remember." 

"Yep, I've been getting lots of calcium..... so where are you?" 

"Why the fuck would I tell you that?"

"You can sacrifice yourself for your people..... your save people right? Save them from me." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well I guess im lying, its not just you I want. It's also Carmine, the evolved, Simon..... ummm Eugene too I guess. But everyone else can live..... well those who are left anyways." 

"How many people have you killed?" 

"Today? Hmmmm I don't know, I don't keep count." 

"You fucking psychopath, what do you even do it for? I know im a piece of shit, but I do it for a reason. You know how many people I had to kill to save the rest? I remember, every. Single. One. And you're telling me you dont even keep count? I bet you get off on it, dont you?" 

"You really think imma sit here and let a nigga named Gilbert talk down to me?" 

I see Carls head cock to the side in my peripheral vision, his eyes widen in confusion. "Gi-Gilbert?" 

"Yeah, his real name is Gilbert. His wife called him Negan because she said his name didn't match him."I turn back to the radio. "Last chance _Gilbert._ Show yourself, save the rest, or I'll hunt you down and slaughter everyone in my way." 

"Meet me outside." He says, agreeing a but quicker then I'd like. 

_This has to be a trap right?_

**_Oh yeah, one hundred percent._ **

"Carl, Imma go outside and be ambushed, stay here until team three arrives." 

"Wait!" He says grabbing my wrist "You WANT to be ambushed?! Why would you just walk into that?" 

"Umm because I can keep em all occupied while y'all surround them?" 

He gives me a strange look and sighs, "Okay." He wraps his arms around my neck and surprises me with a tight hug. 

"I'm still mad at you." I whisper in his ear.

"I know.... good luck." 

"Okie dokie, be right back." I saw and give him a wave before climbing up and out of the tank. Front flipping onto the ground. 

**_Why are you so extra?_ **

_I don't know? Finesse?_

"Look at you!" I say when I see Negan scrambling onto the roof of a nearby tank, bat in hand. "I honestly didn't expect you to show yourself." 

"Im a man of my word." He replies, twirling his bat in one hand. "Well.... here I am." 

"Yeah.... there you are." 

I see the other people in the trees, they're looking at me, but they're not doing anything. Why not? They're waiting for me to make the first move, aren't they. But why? Ohhhhh, I see it now. They're not just baiting me, they're baiting Carl too. And they're baiting anyone else who might be evolved. They cant possibly know its just Carl and me right? Is that a advantage? 

"So.." Negan says, looking down at me from the top of his tank. "You gonna just zone out all day? Or are you gonna do something?" 

"Nigga don't act like I can't just lightning your ass! Shut the fuck up and let me think." I say, looking back into the forest. "Fuck you!" I yell at my audience, I fucking hate being stared at. It's just weird right? A weird fucking feeling. 

"Look.... I dont have all day." 

I let out a growl and glare at the ground, thinking out my next move."Fuck it, It'll draw them out." I sprint forward and jump onto the tank, spinning under the swing of the bat and kicking Negan down the the ground. "Cmon Gilbert! You and me! One on one!" 

"My name is Negan!" He screams as I jump over him, allowing a little distance between us so we can get ready. "You still got that metal leg?" 

I narrow my eyes and fake a jab, switching into a inside leg kick with my prosthetic. "Here it is!" I growl. 

The inside of a persons thigh is tightly packed with nerves, making it a excellent target for Muay Thai style kicks. The thing about legs kicks is if you do them right they don't just hurt, they immobilize. A single kick can give your opponent a "dead leg" and greatly hinder their combat abilities. 

"Agh!" He gasps and stumbles, swinging his bat wildly to keep me away. I time his swing and raise me knee, catching the impact on my metal shin before kicking the him in the chest with a side kick, twisting my body as I do it. 

"This really isn't going your way is it?" I chuckle over him as his back collides with the ground. "You have terrible technique." 

"You have superpowers. Is their a fucking technique to counter that?" 

"I haven't even used any!" I point out, crossing my arms and looking down at him with a hint of disappointment. "Im giving you a fair fight and you're getting your ass kicked!" 

"Agh! Fuck kid I don't know what you want me to say! You're like a god damn mortal combat character. You even got the tight suit and metal leg." He says, propping Lucille on the ground to lift himself up. "You really think you're giving me a fair fight?" 

"Hmm? Yeah. I've been beaten in this form before. But not by anyone as weak as you are." I say, referring to the blind man from my past. "That man couldn't even see, but he was the best fighter I've ever known." 

"Heh, a blind guy beat you? How?" He asks, And I realize he's stalling. 

"Get up Gilbert." I growl, looking over my shoulder at the Saviors observing us. Why aren't they doing anything? "Cmon, Theres other things I wanna do today." 

"I told you that ain't my name." 

"Yeah yeah, Your wife calls you Negan and it stuck, I know. I saw all of that." 

"Saw what? What are you talking about?" 

"Your wife, Lucille? She died right at the beginning of this right? And you let some kid kill her because you couldn't bring yourself to do it." 

"Wh- What did you say?" 

_Bingo_

**_Yahtzee!_ **

"You cheated on her, didn't even try to hide it either...." 

"Shut up." 

"Then she got sick, and you felt bad because you realized you were a terrible person to her, and left ended your relationship with that other chick." 

"Stop talking." 

"And then when she died, and she turned. You couldn't bring your self to put her out of her misery, which would've been the only kind thing you ever did for her." 

"I said shut the fuck up!" He screams, and charges at Me wildly with the bat, swinging wildly for my head. 

I back step and switch my stance into a Side stance. Watching the movements of his swing, the timing. When he's open I burst forward with a jab, catching him in the nose before ducking under his swing and stepping behind him. Pushing him away and letting us reset. I was hoping he would calm down, maybe put a bit a strategy into his movements, but he was way too enraged for that. Screaming curses at me and charging me with the bat. Hmmmmm, this gives me the opportunity to try something! 

"Cmon, Gilbert!" I yell and dance around, waiting for his inevitable swing. When he does swing I pivot my front foot and spin my prosthetic leg, going with the swings momentum and catching the bat in between where my calf and thigh would be, ripping the bat out of his hands as I rotate. 

"Whooooooo!" I scream, grabbing the bat from my leg and holding it above my head. "I hope you saw that shit! Because that will never happen again!" 

"Get your fucking hands off her!" He screams and charges at me, meeting a foot to the face, a shin to the chin if you will. A simple round house kick. 

"Ohhh yeah, thats a concussion." I say as he loses his footing and collapses onto the dirt, his legs giving out. I walk over to him, bat in my hand as I stand over him. "Well, this is ironic." 

"Fuck you." He says, hostile to the end it seems. "You fucking demon, why'd you do this? Just tell me that." 

"Hmmm, what do you mean? We're at war, its self explanatory." 

"That's not what I mean kid." He grovels, too dizzy to prop himself up. "I mean you don't take hostages, you don't count victims, you don't even try to negotiate with anyone. It's just killing for you and you don't mind that. So what the fuck are you even fighting for?" 

I stare at him in confusion for a second, trying to process his meaning. My eyes flare when I understand. "Ohhhh you mean my motivation? Hmmmm. I guess I just like it. I don't hold any animosity towards your people or anything . But they came for us, not the other way around." 

"So thats it? You just like it?" 

"Hmmm, Maybe.... but I could've just hunted you down if that was completely true. I guess I didn't because of my friends." 

"Your friends kept you here?" 

"Well... they need to learn to defend themselves when Im gone, I guess you guys provide a bit of experience for them. Not many of them have been in large conflicts before, especially with such insurmountable odds." 

"I guess kid. I guess..." he says and leans his head back on the ground. "One more question. If I found you before Rick, would you have worked with me?" 

Honestly, not a difficult question to answer. I shrug and give a non chalet "probably" before raising the bat above my head. 

"Stop!" Carl screams, sneaking behind me and ripping the bat from my grip. "What are you doing!?"

"Witchcraft." I say putting my hands on my hips. "The fuck does it look like?" 

"Okay then let me rephrase! Why?" 

"Because that cock gobbler tied me up and let a zombie take a nibble in my shoulder!" 

"You cant just kill everyone who's wronged you!" 

"You wanna fucking bet!?" I yell, changing into my combat form and towering over the child, a deep growl in my voice.

"No! I know you co..... whats that?" I look at what he's pointing at, four fast figures zipping through the forest. The evolved. 

"Hmmmm there they are."


	18. Toby

"So that was wierd right? Can someone tell me that was wierd." Felix says, walking through the forest with a bored expression on his face. When he heard they were going to war this morning, he didn't expect it to be So quite. "Like he never says goodbye to us, he just leaves." 

After ten minutes of Felix's constant blabbing, Toby has decided that it's best to indulge him."Yes Felix.... it was very weird." 

"See? Thank you Toby." Felix says, casually bumping shoulders with his twin, trying to make him laugh. "Whats wrong liam?" 

"Focusing." Liam says bluntly, eyes scanning the forest for movement. "Looking for umm....... bad guys." 

Connor chuckles and looks over his shoulder at the set of twins. He whispers "You should follow his example Felix." 

"Huh? I'll have you know Im super aware right now. Like a anxious cat or a Mexican mother." 

Even with her injury, Jacy couldn't resist the urge to bend over and pick a pinecone off the ground, tossing it at Felix's arm and making the boy jump from the impact. 

"Oww" He whines, stroking his newly bruised tricep, "What was that for?" 

"I wanted to test your Mexican like awareness." She chuckles, ignoring the strain in her leg. The muscle siezes, and were it not for Toby's help she definantly would've fallen."Shit, can we take a break?" 

Connor takes a moment to think, they have been walking for a while, but it's been at a slow pace. Are they far enough away to stop and rest? "Two minute break." 

"I'll keep watch." Mike volunteers, hes been on edge all day, which is understandable. 

Liam looks over his shoulder at him and gives him a smile. "I'll join you." 

Toby set his girlfriend down on a stump. "Hows it feel Jacy?" He asks, inspecting the wound with his eyes, but unable to see much due to her pants being in the way, they'll have to wait till they're safe before they know how hurt she is for sure. 

"It stings like a bitch." She says, but with a light hearted chuckle, one that prompted Toby to make one of his own. "How about you? How you holdin up?" 

"Me? Well Im fi....." he's interrupted by Felix slamming into him from behind, catching him before he goes face first into the tree stump. 

Felix unzips Toby's backpack and starts rifling through the contents, moving ammo magazines and medical supplies out of the way "Oh well now that you mention it, I'm a bit peckish. Got anything to eat this bag Toby?" 

"Peckish? And ya I got a granola bar in the front pocket. Didn't you pack food?" He hears Felix zip him back up before unzipping the smaller, front pocket of the backpack. 

"I brought a apple, but it got smooshed." 

"You brought a full apple?" 

"Well why the fuck would I bring half a apple?" 

Toby couldn't argue with that, but the size of the apple wasn't really the issue he was trying to bring attention to. "Dont you think you should've brought something smaller? Like a MRE or something like that?" 

"Well that makes sense in hindsight." 

"It makes sense in FORESIGHT!" 

"Ohh!" Liams excited voice rings out, his index finger extended and pointing through the tree line. "I see him!" 

Everyone except Jacy scrambles up and forward, wondering what the excited boy sees. "That's Dindu! It's gotta be right!?" 

"Who's he carrying?"Felix asks squinting his eyes to see the distant figures. 

"I think thats ummm.... probably Carl?" 

Suddenly the larger, Black figure throws the small boy straight up into the air, causing the group to give audible gasp before losing sight of it, the black figure descending out of their view. 

"Oh my god, he just killed Carl!" Felix yells, a bit of shock in his voice. "No...no he wouldn't do that. Would he Toby?" 

"I mean probably not but...... maybe?" 

Connor raises his hand to interrupt. "Breaks over, time to move." 

Everyone groans but complies. Except for Liam, who's fixated on the the flashes of light in the distance. What is that? He wonders. 

"Hey" Mike says as he clamps his hand down on the boys shoulder, shaking him from his daze. "We're leaving, you coming?" 

"Umm yeah... do you see that?" He asks pointing at the reflective light in the distance, unsure what it is. 

But Mike realizes, and he tackles the boy to the ground, saving Liam, but badly damaging his own shoulder. "Sniper!" 

Toby sprints over to Jacy, wrapping her arm around his neck and grabbing his rifle with his free hand. "Lets move!" He screams, crouching under the wall off gunfire, a bullet scrapes his ear, but he ignores it. 

Connor's Rifle was kicked away from him in the chaos, and he army crawls to grab it before rolling behind a nearby tree, finally able to get back to his feet without being killed instantly. He peaks around the base of the tree, trying to count the innumerable amount of hostiles in the area. 

"Fuck!" He screams as he forces the panic down and out of his system, not letting it get to his head. His training kicks in, and he starts taking slow, deep breaths to counteract the tunnel vision brought on by panic. 

"Keep your head down!" Felix screams to Liam, trying desperately to crawl over to his twin. He screams as a bullet richochets off the ground and embeds itself in his calf, burning his muscle as it settles in his flesh. 

"Felix!" Liam screams as his brother is hit with a second bullet, this time in the forarm. "Felix! Get to cover!" He screams and trys to scramble to his feet.

Mike clamps a hand over the back of the boys neck and pins him to the ground. "Stay the fuck down!" He yells, using his own body as a shield. He's already soaked up four bullets and expects to soak up some more. He uses what ever strength he has left to push the boy towards cover before he inevitably passes out from blood loss. Connor attempts to peak around the tree, but the volume of bullets is simply too high. 

_They're suppressing me!_ He thinks, leaning his rifle around the tree trunk and firing blindly for a moment before his gun is shot and destroyed, some of his fingers being torn apart as a result. "Ahh fuck!" He screams and reaches for his side arm, his injured hand clutched against his chest like he used to do in training. The gunfire stops as a large figure flanks around him, and he feels cold metal pressed against his temple. 

"Drop it." The voice growls, putting pressure on The former swat members temple. Connor sees a group of soldiers swarm around him, entrapping him and his group in a lethal circle. "I wont ask again." Connor takes a deep breath, but complies, letting the pistol drop the the forest floor, resting for a moment before the figure kicks it behind them. The figure grabs Connor by the back of the neck and uses brute strength to force him flat on the ground, its knee resting on his spine. Connor closes his eyes and begins a silent prayer. 

Liam peeks at the figure and takes a moment to recognize him. "Carmine?" He questions. The man looks different, bigger, stronger then he was a year or so before. He was always a big guy, standing at six two and weighing in at two hundred five pounds, heavily muscled as to be expected from special forces. But now he looks like he could be two forty, maybe even more. The biggest difference liam notices however is his hair, it was long when he last saw him, and now it's a simple buzzcut. A symbol for his return to war? Liam wonders. 

"Hey kid, hows that head of yours?" Carmine asks, holding his pistol to his chest but still aiming its barrel down and Connor, the larger man still unmoving. Liam remains silent and borrows his head in his hands. Carmine gives a little grunt before waving his gun in the air, signaling his soldiers to approach. "Take their weapons, and round em up." 

The soldiers do as their ordered, Simon, Negans lieutenant was among them, his hand searching for a pulse on Mikes throat. "This ones dead." He says, and earns a confirmation nod from Carmine. "Damn, I guess I won't be getting that autograph." 

Jacy swallows her anger at his comment, feeling a mixture of rage and terror bubbling up in a battle of emotional extremes,she's smart enough to know she can't allow either side to win. It would end in even more heartbreak.... assuming anyone would be alive to feel it. "Damn it." She whispers under her breath so quietly she's not sure if she spoke at all. 

"Did you say something sweet cheeks?" Carmine asks, shooting her a glare. "You know I remember you. You always mumbled under your breath but never had the guts to speak aloud, especially when Daddy was around. Where is he anyways?" After Jacys silence the man gets the message. "Damn, really? When?" Again, Jacy is silence, but Carmine isn't as forgiving this time. "Hey!" He yells, firing a shot close enough to her head she could feel the heat of the bullet scorch her temple. "You fucking bitch answer me when I'm talking to you!" 

"Jacy..." toby whispers, looking at her with pleading eyes. Jacy, takes a shaky breath, trying to calm herself before speaking. 

"Eight months ago." She whispers through clenched teeth, tears welling up in her eyes from the memory. "Eight months... I think."

"Hmm." The man grunts as if digesting the information. "Well, thats too bad. He never wronged me, so I'm sorry for your loss." 

"I don't want your fucking sympathy!" She spits and Toby clamps his hand over her mouth to shut her up. 

Carmine raises a curious eyebrow at the boy. "You, you weren't with them before. What's your name?" 

"To-Toby Cu-C-Curtis" the boy answers through his stutter, something he hasn't gotten the hang of yet. 

"Alright Toby Curtis, do you know who I am?" The man asks, as if his name wasn't stitched into his uniform. The man pats himself on the chest next to the stitch for extra help. "Any Idea at all?" 

"James Carmine." 

"Yahtzee!" The man says with no enthusiasm, twirling his gun around in the air before pressing it to the back of Connors head. "And do you know who this is?" 

"Connor Lane." 

"Right." The man says before letting his face contort in anger. "And do you know what he did to me?" 

Jacy was confused, as far as she remembers Connor didn't do anything to Carmine. They were friends for a while, and then Carmine went crazy and all hell broke loose, igniting a massive fire fight that claimed the lives of forty two people. "What he did to you?" 

"He never told you did he?" Carmine growls, pressing his pistol muzzle into the back of the mans skull. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I sure as shut wouldn't tell you if I did what he did." He moves off the man, picking him up by the back of his shirt and setting him down on his knees, facing the kids. "Go ahead Sergeant Lane. Tell em." 

"I do this, and you'll let us go?"

"Fuck no, I'll still kill you. But I'll only kill you. Just you Connor." 

"Alright." Connor says taking a deep breath, maybe his last. "I killed his wife... and son."

"What?" Jacy said, a chill radiating through her body. "What?" 

"Thats right girlie." Carmine growl, pressing his muzzle to the back of Connors head again. "He killed Tanya and Andrew." 

"I thought it was you." Connor whimpers, guilt clearly visible on his face. "I thought you were in that car, I'd never hurt them." 

"But you did, you killed them." Carmine says. "And you killed my humanity right along side them." Carmines gun drops from Connors head to his back.He pulls the trigger and Connor's chest explodes outwards, bits of bone and organ showering the ground in front of him. Jacy wiped the crimson droplets off her face without thinking. Carmine puts his weapon back in its holster. "Simon, get em in the trucks."


	19. Fight night

"Hmmmm there they are." I hum at the approaching force of four evolved humans, each one with a whip augmentation. "Looks like you'll have to wait Gilbert." 

"It's about god damn time Tim!" Negan yells at the leader of the evolved, earning a chuckle from me. "Why the fuck were you just watching me get mty ass kicked?" 

"We thought you could handle it." The man replies calmly, a emotionless expression on his face, the other three mutants wearing masks stand behind him, unmoving. "You can go now Negan, your services are no longer needed." 

"Fucking finally." Negan grumbles while clambering up from the ground. "See ya around kid, I'm gonna go get my dick su-ah" 

I grab his wrist and twist it, flipping him onto the ground infront of me. "As long as you're breathing we ain't done. You're gonna watch me slap these four cocks!" 

"Aghh the one on the left is a woman." 

"You're gonna watch me slap these three cocks... and pound one pussy."I say, looking at the woman on the far left.... cant really tell its a woman but I'll take what I can get. "Talk to me after this, kay?" She responds by flipping me off. 

_Rude_

**_You deserved that._ **

"Djimon." The leader says, his glowing hazel eyes glaring at me. "Im giving you the chance to stand down, and come with me peacefully. If you refuse..." 

I make a groaning, screaming sound and glare at the leader "Yeah yeah, spare me the bullshit. You know you can't beat me. I ain't even stressing over you." 

"Alright." The man says and the group spreads out around me. Carl shoots me a worried look as I switch into my combat skin.

"You can go Carl." 

"What?" He says, a string of irritation present in his voice. "You don't think I can fight?" 

Wow Carl, now is not the time for you to throw your dick around. Still.... this could be funny. "Alright carl, charge in there." He gives me a suspicious look, eyes half closed like he knows somethings up. "I got your back buddy." 

He keeps his glare on me before rotation his wrists, producing a set of twin blades that replace his hands and forearms. "Try to keep up Dindu." He says and Then sprints forward, arms behind his back like a fucking retard. 

**_You're really not gonna help him?_ **

_Shhhhh watch._

"Agghhh!" Carl screams as he charges into the group and jumping, extending his blade out. The leader of the evolved, tim, easily side steps Carls attack before circling behind him, entrapping him in the center of the group. The entire group, and I mean all of them, punched him simultaneously, beating the boy back and forth between them. It was the funniest shit I've ever seen, he was so confident a second ago. 

"Ahhahahahahaha!" I howl, having to change back into my flesh suit before I accidentally sent off a psionic blast from my uncontrollable movements. Im one of those guys who HAS to move when you make him laugh hard enough. "You should of seen your face! Your dumb fucking face!" 

"Ahhhh!" Carl screams, startling Alma. 

**_They're stabbing him!_ **

"Aaaahhahahahahaahaha!" 

**_Get in there and save him!_ **

_"Hehe okay okay."_ I say before switching back into my combat skin and swinging my rifle of my back, firing a beehive round at the ground swallowing up Carl. The round detonates five feet away from the group, showering them in scolding fragmentation that could kill any normal human, but thanks to the evolves rapid regeneration properties all the round did was get their attention. "Let the dumbass go, this is between us." 

They look between themselves, but comply, probably thinking that if they beat me they can just kill Carl later. Carl slinks out from the center of the group clutching his newly injured shoulder. Damn, they really did a number on him, perhaps I waited a little too long. 

Carl sniffs, holding back tears and refusing to look at me. "Why didn't you help me?" He whimpers, the multiple cuts on his body quickly closing up. "You said you had my back." 

Shit... that was kinda a dickhead move wasn't it? I need to spin this into something positive. "You did kinda just sprint in, I needed to show you how reckless that was." I say, giving him a shoulder shrug before shifting my attention towards the evolved. "How about you sit here and watch me? You could learn a few things about actual combat." I pick him up and place him on top of a turned over tanks, best seat in the house.

"Alright you D list villains." I say, rotating my wrists and revealing a massive blade on my right side and a claw on my left. 

"What!?" Carl says as his eyes widen in surprise. "You can use both? Why the fuck haven't you shown me that before!?" 

"Im showing you now. How come you never let me watch you and Enid have sex!?" I growl. Okay, maybe it's not the best comparison but it was the first thing that came to mind for some reason. You're telling me you wouldn't watch that? You fucking liar.

"We haven't had sex." Carl whispers, As if those evolved over there give a fuck about his sex life. "We want to, but you told me we cant because I would kill her, remember?" 

"Yeah. That doesn't mean to die a virgin though, dont you think she deserves a good ol womb broom?" 

"Oh my god!" Carl groans covering his head for a second before his red face pops back to me. "You're so infuriating! Why do you intentionally mess with me? What's your problem! Do you hate me or something? Why? What did I do!?" 

Wow, I don't think I've seen him this angry before. It's kinda cute, like a puppy when you wrestle with it and it gets aggressive. The little growl in his voice, the tendons on his neck sticking out......Its cute. But this ain't the time for his tomfuckery. 

But I couldn't help it. "Well, somebody's sexually frustrated isnt he?" I say, admiring the little anger trembles in Carls bottom lip. I let my voice lowe, bringing on a more serious, threatening tone. "Shut up, sit down, and watch." 

He can watch, he can leave, it doesn't actually matter to me. All that matters is I get to beat the fuck out of four evolved, something Ive never done before. This should be a good challenge for me. "Alright cock goblins! We gonna fight? Or are we gonna...... do something else?" 

"Wow zero effort." Carl says from ontop of the truck. Imma just ignore him for now. Annndddd I cant. 

"Carl I will slam your dick in a door if you don't shut the fuck up right now!" 

**_Are you gonna fight them or not?_ **

_"Quit it Alma."_ I say in summarian. "Watch and learn boy, you gotta use your head." 

I start off the same way Carl did, sprinting forward at me enemies. There is no tactical advantage when it comes to fighting four enemies. But I'll figure it out as I go. 

I change course at the last second, sprint to the outside of the circle and spearing the women who rejected me a minute ago, my blade slicing through her shoulder. I use her body as a barrier, and wait before I make my next move. These people are still human in a way, mentally at least. They haven't grasped their augmentations, and they've never seen anything like me before. 

Since she's in my control that leaves three hostiles, and a barrier in their path. Two of them will go one way around her, leaving a weak point on her opposite side. In this case her weak side was my right side, where a man wearing a gorilla mask lifts his blades to attack me. I pivot the women's body to intercept the path of the other two while stepping into a side kick, smashing my heel into the mans sternum and sending him a good forty feet away, giving me some time. Unfortunately for me, the woman is clutching onto my blade too tightly for me to shake her off, figuring out that I can't use the blade if the uses her body as a makeshift sheath. 

"Clever." I growl before using my foot to kick he off me. But not before a couple blades bounce off my helmet, badly damaging my natural shield systems. "Very clever." 

I dodged the man with the goblin mask's next attack, moving under his diagonal strike and pivoting around behind him, my claws impailing him through his back and stomach. "Whoops." I growl before expanding my fingers and ripping the man in half, my tendrils slither out of my lower back and gobbling up the corpse. 

"Kyle!" The man with the gorilla mask screams in shock before sprinting full speed at me, his rage blinding him. 

"Wait! Return to the group!" Tim screams, while backpedaling towards the woman, he sliced shoulder rapidly healing from my attack. Gorilla mask either didn't hear him or didn't care, keeping his fixation on me. 

Now kids, if you're ever in a fight it's important to keep your wits about you. Never give in to rage, its a trap. You could be the strongest, fastest, most badass mother fucker on the planet, if you lose your mind, you will suffer. Poor gorilla mask is about to find that out. 

I let out growl before smashing my blade into the ground, igniting a wave of red lightening that spreads across the burned terrain and lifts Gorrilla mask into the air, allowing my the slice through his belly on his way down. I narrowly miss his spine, meaning he will regenerate from this, but I can't worry about that now, so I smash my armored foot in between his shoulder blades, pinned him to the floor while my claw transforms into a whip. I point it at the woman and fire the spear like tip at her, this would have penetrated through her chest were it not for Tims interference, his own whip intercepting mine. 

I'd seen evolved with blades and claws before, but never one with a whip. And now I get the opportunity to test myself against not only one but two more evolved! Im not even gonna count gorilla mask her, he's pretty much done. But that doesn't detract from my excitement. I retract my whip before turning my back to the two evolved, I finally get to do this. 

I extinguish my blade and whip before placing my knee on on small of the mans back, keeping him pinned, but letting his back arch. When he does I grab him by the throat with one hand and grab a ankle with the other, pulling the man into me. Gorilla man screams in pain and I know they can hear his crys. I'm sure you see its a trap, but they wont. 

"Help!" The man screams as I apply more pressure, slowly breaking him in half. I peek over my shoulder and see the two of them closing in on me, desperation apparent in their eyes. 

The first thing That hits them is the psionic pulse the smashes into them and cracks the earth beneath me, followed by the immediate storm of spear like appendages that eject from my bio-metallic armor, piercing through their bodies and attaching to the trees and tanks littered around the area. I shake off my molted armor to reveal a quickly regenerating layer generating on my body. For me to use such a devastating attack is very rare, so rare that I don't even have a name for it, but it would have something to do with porcupines. My tendrils slither out of my back and attach to the top half of he corpse in my hand, the gorilla mask still on the mans face. 

I shake off the rest of the shedded, bio-metal and admire the the damage my attack did on the other two evolved. The woman is dead, a spike piercing through her chin, up and out of the top of her head before attaching to a tree, there's plenty of other spikes impailing her, but thats the one that killed her. Tim is badly hurt and completely immobile, suspended in the air with spikes going through his arms and legs, almost is a crucifix pose. But the spike that would have killed him pierced him a little too low, and is embedded behind his left collar bone. 

"Looks comfy." I say, his head looking down at me, but his eyes can't focus. Damn.....I overdid it. Looks like I won't get that fight after all. I grab one of his arms and pull him, ripping him apart through the forest of spears. My tendrils chew up the little bit that it can before sliding back into my body. That attack does quite a bit off damage to me too, draining my energy reserves, luckily these evolved fill me right back up! But I should save my energy anyways. 

I switch into my flesh skin before saying "Did you see that Carl?" 

I wasn't expecting him to not be there, I thought he would still be sitting right on top of that overturned tank were I left him, he's usually so obedient, albeit reluctant at times. But he's missing, and you know who else is missing? 

"Fucking Gilbert!" I scream, a wave of frustration washing over me. I better not find out Carl helped him in anyway! 

_Alma! Patch me into Ricks radio!_

**_All radio communication is down, some sort of jammer._ **

"Well thats just fucking perfect!" I growl to myself, unsure of what my next move should be. _"Have Fenrir deal with that Jammer."_ I tell Alma aloud before making my way into the woods, hoping to find some trace of Carl and Negan. It didn't take long. 

"Aghhh!" A scream of pain echoes through the forest, as I sprint towards the epicenter, reaching a clearing that held a group of people I quickly Identified as squad four, Rick's group. And in the middle of the clearing was Rick and Gilbert, both injured from the struggle I must have barely missed. Ricks leg has been badly broken, his shin bone snapped in half to the point that his heel pointed straight at his head. However it looks like Gilbert got the worst of it, face down and unconscious in a pile of his own blood, a laceration through is throat. 

"That looks uncomfortable." I joke over ricks fallen body, his face contorted in pain. "I wanted to be the one to kill him, but I'm glad you got your revenge." 

"We're not planning on killing him." Carl says, appearing into my peripheral vision and I give him a quizzical look, unsure of if I heard him correctly. "He'll spend the rest of his life in a jail cell." 

"And there it is..." I groan rolling my eyes at the boy, "The stupidest fucking thing I'll hear all day." It feels like everything I say to this boy goes in one ear and out the other. A medical crew comes out of the woods with a stretcher, two members treat Rick and his broken leg while the other six make sure Negan doesn't die from blood loss, putting him on the stretcher and loading him into the back of a pickup truck. I offered no help, In fact it took everything to not consume that mans nearly dead body. 

"I know you're angry with me." Carl says, wrapping his arms around my torso from behind and pressing his face next to mine. "But It's better for use to learn forgiveness, that is if we ever want things to return to how they were before." 

"What's with you people?" I say, carefully peeling Carl off of me. "All you ever care about is getting back to the way things used to be. What was so great about how things used to be? That worlds gone now, and you have the opportunity to make a better one, so why repeat the sins of the past?" I ask, allowing myself to make eye contact with carl, it's uncomfortable for me, and I'm not very good with words, but I want him to understand what I'm saying. "Your species was killing this planet, and now the planet is fighting back. You can't beat it, so maybe you should learn to live in it? It'll be different then it was before, sure, but maybe it should be? The way you were going? How much longer did you have?" I let my eyes drop, I'm failing, I know that. I can't put the words in my head into English, I just don't know what to say. "Look, just think about it Okay?" 

"I will." He says, ruffling my hair. "I promise." 

**_Found it._** Alma rings out in my head, and my eyes flare as Half of my vision changes to a birds eye view. A armored vehicle with a spinning satellite of some sort. And a man standing next to it alone, his eyes clearly seeing the Hawk flying above him. Carmine. My vision goes back to normal and I see carl giving me a concerned look. 

**_Looks like he wants to meet you. Setting a waypoint for this location._ **

"You alright Dindu? Why did your eyes just flare?" Carl asks, still running his fingers through my hair. 

"I have to go." I say, backing away from him. "Stay safe Carl!" I yell before switching into my combat skin and blasting off into the sky, leaving Carl confused in a cloud of dust. 

I make my way to the way point, it takes three minutes. The man hasn't moved, and im able to confirm its just him. He seems undisturbed in my presence, instead focusing of finishing his pastry, a bagel I think, slathered is cream cheese. 

"Right on time." He says, not taking his eyes off the food item in his hand. "Im almost done with my bagel." He takes a extra large bite, not bothering to savor the delicious flavor. 

"This has really taken the tension out of the situation." I say, switching out of my combat skin at the sight of the mans lunch. The man tosses me a paper bag containing four bagels. 

"Thats why I brought them..." the man says motioning to the seat across from him. "They can civilize any situation." 

I think he had the intention of talking things out, Im not sure why, Don't think either of us truly wanted that. So instead of talking we just ate, using up a small tub of cream cheese. It took a good ten minutes before he broke the silence, curiosity getting the best of him. 

"How much do you know about your kind?" He asks, folding his hands on the table while I continue to eat my final bagel. The question catches me off guard, but I do know a couple things. 

"There was one girl... but everything's a bit fuzzy. I think she was like me? And I think I killed her...

"So you CAN be killed." 

"I said I think..." I grumble. Honestly! Im not lying! There were giants and these big ass walls and this fucking plane. But the woman? The angel? I cant remember her so well. "I had to use my Leviathan, and I never saw a body, but I feel like I killed her." 

"The lev.... that monster? That was you?" 

"Kinda.... I don't remember much while in that form." I admit, finishing up my last bagel. "But yeah, technically its." 

"Hmmph, Eugene told me you were from Africa..."He raises a eyebrow at me, leaning in close and tapping his finger on the table "You don't look African. Hell, you don't look like anything..." 

He's a barrel of information ain't he? I just grunt and go back to my bagel for a moment. Who the fuck brings bagels to a war zone anyways? Where'd he even get them? Fucking costco!? 

"Why did you do this?" I ask, and Carmine gives me a quizzical look. "The bagels, the table, the jammer. You clearly wanted to meet me here. But why?" 

"I wanted you to understand." 

Ah fuck. Here we go boys, the big speech where the villain explains his motivation. Yahoo! Generic writing for the win! 

I let out a sigh. "Understand what?" 

He takes a moment to think, before standing up and facing the sun with his hands clasped behind his back. "There are those throughout history who will never be forgotten.... those who have inked their names into history with the blood of their enemies." 

"What's your point." 

"They weren't all mere humans. some of them weren't even mortal, but the worms that eat them are the same worms that eat everybody else." He says, taking his pistol out of his holster and tossing it into the forest. I raise a eyebrow at him, but he continues his speech. "Even your kind, the little we know about them. They either fled or died out long ago, leaving humanity without proper guidance. Without gods." 

Now that.... that catches me off guard. Not only does he know about my kind... but they've been on this planet. "My kind? What do you know about my kind?" 

"When I first joined the army, I was part of a expendable group of men, a bit of a bullet sponge squad actually. They sent us into the most dangerous parts of the world. Places were we shouldnt have survived.... they expected me to die, but I never did obviously."

"In vietnam there was this... this tear in our reality. A doorway from one realm to another. My team was sent in as a sort of test group." "I met a woman who was like you. She was.... she was buetiful, and kind. But she was a fierce warrior on top of that. When the realms split we fought side by side to close the void. I tried to go with her, but she told me to stay here. To protect this planet..." There was a moment of sadness there. A pained expression bursting through his stoic facade for just a second before he shook it away and continued. "For decades I waited, and watched for signs of something. An invasion, another void. When the plague struck I thought I had found my calling, my reason of being but no. It was you all along." 

He begins stretching his arms and I get the hint, getting up from the table and watching him carefully. Something was happening to him, I could tell. His demenor was changing. "Those demons told me I was made for something special. That I was a rare breed that can do godly things. All I needed was a drop of _your_ blood to unlock my full potential. 

The air shifted around him, a blur cacooning him into a cloak of light. The confusion was quickly replaced by realization as a massive figure emerged. 

"Armor?!?" I ask, switching into my own combat skin. His armors a bit different then mine, no weapons, no design, and he's bulkier. I've never seen a human take on this form, and from what Hall told me, he has other powers too. _"Fascinating."_

"All I have to do is consume you, and Ill be the god of the new world. I can bring humanity from the brink of extinction. _I_ can make sure none of _this_ ever happens again! And all that stands between _me_ and _that_ is _you!_ " 

A burst of energy, a sudden reactive impulse? The alarms in my head start to blare as Carmine launches at me like a missle. i was lucky to dive right under him, my own cacoon gobling me up. It was foolish of me to think he had any intention of talking this out. He wants to eat my ass, and gain my powers. 

I swing around and dodge his fist, the limb swirling into a blade before my very eyes. With a backwards leap I prepare for a full fledged fight, my right arm forming a massive blade while the left takes on the whip. 

The thing about the whip and the duel dagger arms is that theyre actually the same, with a few differences. While carl, and most of the other evolved may have thier entire forarms replaced by the weapons, mine jet out from just under my wrist, a effect of the armor itself. The blade can be used as a sort of dagger or short sword, or can be swung on a sort of bio-metallic tendon like a blade on a chain. Brings a few options with its versatility, although relatively lacking in power compared to everything else. 

The blades spark as he slams his down into mine, a sort of struggle ensuing just moments after. He's strong, thats unmistakeable, but somethings off. The armored for doesnt breath, and so a teep to the solar plexus does realatively little damage. Im send stumbling backwards for a brief moment before I shoot my whip foward, the knife like appendage tangling itself around his foot. 

A quick yank and he's down, but nearly immediately got back up to his feet. It was a test you see. I wanted to see if he knew how to fall, and he passed. 

No more playing around. My arms change back into their regular shape before I jet my back arm foward in a Karate style straight punch, igniting the air around me in a solid stream of red lightening. He retaliates with lightning of his own, his beam colliding with mine. A sickening crack shatters the air and knocks the two of us back, skidding on the dirt beneath us. 

"Heh, not bad." Carmine says, and I give a deadly growl. My hand form claws and I stick them into the earth, stalactites piece out of the ground, Carmine rolls foward and narrowly avoids getting impailed. 

"Djimon!" He screams as he charges at me his claws matching mine. I jump over him and he ducks under my swipe, twirling around and facing me. We claw at each other like territorial tigers, ripping into each others armor before I headbutt him, making him stumble back. He switches his right arm into a blade, smashing it into my helmet and exhausting my shield systems. 

**_Hey watch out! There's two of us in here!_**

" _Right!"_ I say, dodging the rangers next three attacks, waiting for a opening to deliver a flying knee to his head, denting the armor on his skull. "Fuck You Carmine!" I scream as he falls to the ground, rolling out of the way of my fist. 

"Cmon you unnatural fuck!" He screams and faces me. I switch into a blade with my right hand, leaving my left normal. The large man charges at me and I jab at him with my blade. He does what I expect, my blade piercing the air of his shoulder. But when he swipes at me with his own blade I sprawl under it, grabbingn his ankle and pulling it to me, making him fall on his back. I bring my blade down and hammer him in the chest, chunks of his armor cracking off from the hit. He retaliates by swinging his blade and knocking my feet out from out of me. 

**_Rookie mistake Spartan._ **

_Who's side you on?!_

**_Whatever, just grab him!_ **

"Aghhh!" The man roars and rolls, trying to get ontop of me but ending up in my guard. I wrap my left leg around his torso and lock it into place by putting my foot in the crook of my knee. I keep my hands behind his head, keeping him low on my body so he cant posture up, smothering the man as he desperately strikes my side where my liver would be. 

**_Warning system overload!_ **

My internal alarm cries out as wave after wave of magnetic induced lightning shoot out of my armor, frying the monster on top of me, his body trashing desperately as the electricity fries him alive. He responds by overloading his own systems his

Lightning pulsing through me and igniting a battle of attrition. 

**_Warning!_ **

The word flashes on my hud as my vision falters, all of my energy going into this attack. 

I realize The stale mate before he does and put my legs on his hips to push him off me. We both scramble to our feet, exhausted and lacking the energy to even form weapons. Luckily for me I don't need to. 

"Aggghhhhh!" I scream, wrapping him up in a thai clinch and slamming my knee into his skull so hard the bio metal casing breaks, and the distortion swallows him up just to spit out his bloody, broken corpse. His skull was broken, and stabbed at his own brain.

"Shit." I groan before transforming into my human form and collapsing on the ground next to the corpse, my vision fading in and out. I was planning in fueling myself with his corpse, but I cant swallow him up without brain activity.

Vertigo quickly sets in, and I stumble each time I try to walk. "The jammer." I whisper to myself as hallucinations rack my mind. Taking me into another body.

Toby's.


	20. Help

I see Jacy across from me with a soldier next to her, and the twins sitting to my right, but I don't see the to other members of my little group. They all look sad, and I feel sad, but I don't know why, everything feels kinda.... fuzzy. I can feel Toby's body, but it feels kinda distant... like a drone. 

I see two people to my left, Simon on the drivers seat infront of me and.... mullet man.... Eugene! Thats his fucking name! God damn I feel weird. They're talking, but I can't understand what they're saying. 

"They're discussing what's going to happen to us." A voice rings out in my head, Toby's voice. "They're also retreating. Whatever you ran off to do obviously worked." 

**_Does he know I took over his body?_ **

_Wait what?!_

I try to move, but simply can't, but I can feel somethings, like Toby's heartbeat and the zip tie around his wrists, restraining his hands behind his back. 

_Alma move his finger!_

I put no effort int any movement, but I can feel his fingertips tapping on the seat under us. _Son Of a bitch!_

"What are you saying?" Toby's voice rings out again. "And why can't I move?" 

_Almas take- "_ I mean Almas taken over your body, and Im riding passenger." 

"Well give it back please! I already have sleep paralysis I don't want that shit when I'm awake too!" He whines. If I had eyes right now I'd roll them. 

_Alma, please transfer control back to Toby._

"Ahhh, That's better." He groans in his head, rolling his shoulders. "Why are you here right now?" 

"Fuck If I know. You tell me why you're in a truck?" I say. And he takes a audible inhale, his eyes on the floor of the vehicle. 

"After you left, we were ambushed in the forest. We tried to hold them off, but there were just too many of them. So they took the four of us and loaded us into this truck. Im sorry, but Mike and Connor are dead.... Im sorry." He says again, mentally repeating himself to the point his body began to shake. "Im so sorry Dindu... I just couldn't do anything." 

**_Im taking back control._** Alma says, and the boys shaking immediately stops. **_Can't have him getting hysterical._**

"Wha-what's she saying?" 

"She's saying it's not your fault Toby, you kept four people alive and thats more then anyone else could do. But I need you to calm down while we discuss a plan." I say, letting a calm voice prevail over my usual, accented one. What? I can be calm when I need to be!

_Alma, how's your English?_

**Perfect, why?**

"Ohh I can understand her now!" Toby's voice rings out again. 

"Thats why." 

**That makes sense _._**

"Communication is key." I say with a giggle. "Alma, what's the status on my body?" 

**Its in repairs, but it'll be a while until you can control it again.**

"Has this happened before Dindu?" 

"No, never." I answer. "You sure you don't want me to use your body? I'm a better fighter then you." 

"Im sure. Why don't you use Maggies body instead?" He retorts. If I didn't know better id say he was jelou...... wait. 

"Alma.... is that.." 

**Im checking...... got it. Looks like she's a viable option. But we'll lose communication, so you'll have to stay with her on your own.**

"I can do that." 

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Toby's voice rings out again. 

"Nigga we're speaking fucking English! Imma go see Hall and you're gonna do whatever Alma says to!" I yell, feeling my consciousness get dragged out of Toby's body. "Goodness me." 

————————————————— 

"Gah what the fuck!" Maggie screams when she sees the mass of distortion next the the refueling helicopter. I hadn't told her about this little thing I do. "Im losing my shit aren't I." 

"Nah you're good Maggie." I say "But you're the only one that can see me. 

"Alien boy!? Why are you a.... what ever that is?" She asks in a hushed whisper. I can see her, and she can see me. But I need to be inside her head, can I move? Yep! 

She screams as the body of distortion charges forward into her, sticking to her body and my vision faultier for a second before I can see through her eyes. 

"Success!" 

"What the fuck did you just do!?" She screams making the pilot lean out the Blackhawks door and yell something I couldn't understand. "Some weird shit is happening dad!" 

"Just think of me as a silent observer...... minus the silence." 

"What are you observing!" 

"First off use a mother fucking inside voice please! Don't talk aloud, mouth the words and I can hear you just fine. Second I can see everything you see, I feel everything you feel." 

She lets out a annoyed groan. "What do you want alien! I already let you probe me!" 

"Yeah.... That explains why you're so loose down there. We're getting off track, I need you to stage a rescue op." 

"What? How?" She asks, climbing into the gunner seat of the helicopter. "Communications are down, isn't fixing that step one?" 

"We're skipping steps, Were on the clock for this Maggie.... please?" 

She rolls her eyes before signaling for her father to start up the engines, prompting the rest of the helicopter team to climb aboard and take their designated positions. She fastens her helmet while silently asking "Wait, cant you fly?" 

"My body is catatonic, I can't go back to it till it repairs itself." 

"Well that sucks." She groans "Where we going? Who we saving?" 

"Squad one was ambushed and is being transported via truck convoy. And If I know alma she'll show me where right about.... there it is!" I say as a little blue blip makes itself visible on my hud, Maggie also sees it. 

"Oh its just like a video game!" She giggles allowed. "Alright dad! Takes us up and rotate seventy degrees left, Were staging a rescue op!" 

I heard what sounds like could be some argument amongst the crew before Maggie silences them. "Shut the fuck up and do it! You wanna let squad one get skullfucked? I don't think so." 

I feel a mild pull of gravity as the helicopter quickly ascends, rotating in the direction of the blip and speeding forward. "This feels weird!" I say, earning a giggle from Maggie. 

"So, what are we flying into?" 

"Truck convoy, I already told you that." 

"Can't you do anything?" 

"Maybe!" I scream. I've never done this before, but I think this could be a good learning moment for me. "Pull along side them, but keep your distance." 

She relays my orders and the helicopter pursuits the colony of trucks, keeping our distance out of the line of fire. Muzzle flashes are seen as some of the soldiers in trucks fire at us, not taking into account the movement of the trucks or the Helicopter. 

"Careful with your fire mags, you don't wanna hit the wrong truck." I remind her, Hmmm lets see. "Good news Maggie! I can call down archer missiles! Look to the front of the truck colony so I can stop the trucks." 

"Alright, You mean to- wait! They're moving!" Maggie points out, prompting me to abort the missile strike as the truck carrying my team makes a left turn, confusing the trucks behind it. Muzzle flashes appear out the back windows of the armored truck, but directed at the trucks around them. "Your team must've hijacked the truck! Dad, follow that runaway!" 

The helicopter banks sharply as Maggie fires at the pursuing trucks with her mounted mini gun, tactically disabling the trucks by firing into their engines. I help her out but summoning my archer missiles, cutting off a few trucks and disabling two of them. Out truck speeds off through the remains of a ruined town, ducking under a canopy of trees and hiding from our site. If I know alma, She already has a route mapped out for them. 

"Keep going forward dad, wait for them to re-emerge!" Maggie yells into her headset, the signal unaffected by the jammer. (Im not actually sure if the radio jammer would ignore this kinda signal, just go with it.) 

"Gain some altit..." I say before a uncomfortable feeling overtakes me, a feeling of weightlessness. "Tude." 

Suddenly my vision blurs and Im sucked down into a dark abyss, a intense feeling in the pit of my stomach and I plunge head first into nothingness. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" I scream as I fall into the abyss, the energy around me vibrating to the point my ears hurt. 

"Whoah!" I scream as I feel my body hit the ground, the feeling of weightlessness slowly dissipating as my eyesight comes back into focus. I get to my feet and start jumping around, shaking my arms to make the ache go away. "Ouchie!" 

"You alright kiddo?" A voice sas behind me. I swing around to see a familiar face. 

"Morgan? I heard your team got wiped out?" 

"Most of us did." The man says, leaning on his staff. "I survived." 

"Were are you going? Kingdoms in the other direction." I say. The man nods at me, telling me he wasn't heading to the Kingdom. "One sec." I say before turning and blasting the radio jammer apart using my thunderclap. 

_Alma, can you hear me?_

**_It's about time you woke up! we're being pursued but our friends in the black hawk should be able to hold them off for now. You destroyed the jammer? Im getting a lot of comms traffic. Can you get here?_ **

_I can't transform, i'll have to get a ride. Keep me posted._

"Morgan, I need your help." 

"Really? what do you need from me?" The man asks, perking up a bit. 

"I can't transform, and squad one is being pursued by hostile forces, we need to show up and fuck em up!" I explain, looking around me and realizing I'm in the middle of fucking nowhere. "You walked all the way out here?" I ask and the man nods, why is he acting weird? Whatever, I don't have time to deal with him. 

_Alma no go on the ride any ideas?_

**_I don't know, ride Fenrir?_ **

" _Genius!_ " I scream aloud, eliciting a startled jump from the taller man beside me. "Morgan, have you seen Fenrir?" The man shakes his head and i let out a frustred groan. Wait, Fenrirs a wolf right? I'll just howl! 

"Aahhhhooooooo!" I howl, placing my hands by my lips and throwing my head back. Okay, I know its a little desperate, but its a idea imma go with. "Morgan! Howl with me!" The man rolls his eyes, but complies, putting his hands up to his lips and howling like a wolf along side me. "There he is!" I scream, pointing at the sky. 

The Haast's Eagle circles a hundred feet above us, it's massive wingspan casting a shadow onto us as it descends at a ravenous pace, disappearing into a cloud of distortion and transforming into the massive wolf known as Fenrir. The canine's tail wags as it gallops up to us, letting us pet it. 

"Oh my boy hi!" I squeal and rub the dog behind both ears. "I need your help boy." I say to the wolf and climb on his back, grabbing onto his fur. "Find Toby boy!" 

The dog sniffs the air before taking off into the woods, leaving Morgan perplexed in his dust. I keeps my head low to avoid any tree branches or brush that could knock me off the wolf, but I still take a few hits to my leg and side, the armor absorbing the impacts. We race through the forest and eventually happen upon a road, the one I saw when I was still in Maggies head. The dog sniffs the air and makes his way down through the forest on the opposite side of the road. 

**_Im directing him to me directly, which means you'll bypass that convoy._ **

_Why? I can hit them from behind! They'll have to fight on two fronts!_

**_Maggie seems very insistent on not letting you do that, she was stationed with these people after all._ **

I choke down a growl, but I understand the emotion behind it. I DONT LIKE IT! But I get it. It might bite her in the ass later, and I won't be around to help her, but hey, not my problem. 

_Understood, take us in quietly. And patch me into that chopper._

I hear a quick cry of radio static before the sound of radio chatter comes through into my head. Sounds to me like arguing between a bunch of people I don't know. And then I hear Maggies voice ring out. 

"Cmon General! You already lost! Give up! You can't win this!" Maggie says through the radio waves, sounds more like pleading then anything else to me. "Carmines and the rest of the Re-Ans are dead! Go home! We won't come after you!" 

"You know I can't do that Sergeant Hall, not until I get what I need. Give him to me." 

"He's just a kid, General Hart! He just let him leave this place! He'll be out of your hair and you'll get to live!" 

**_General Hart wants to capture you and Maggie doesn't want him to._ **

_Yeah thanks Alma I kinda pieced that together. Why does he want me? I don't even know the guy._

**_You didn't but apparently the Leviathan did, shot down a few of his Apaches and killed alot of his men. Not to mention destroying a major city._ **

_That makes sense._

"General please! I'm sorry about your men, but you can't seriously expect him to just turn himself over to you! And you can't force him! You don't have the firepower! Huh- General!" Maggie screams into the radio before the static takes over again, General Hart must have cut off communications. I hear the sounds of the helicopter blades echo off of the forest around me and the wolf makes a slight course adjustment. 

**_You're about eight hundred feet out Djimon, try to keep a low profile._ **

_Oh they're not gonna see a damn thing._

I can see the convoy through the trees and hear the Helicopter through the canopy overhead. We do our best to stay out of site, and were successful until we hit a clearing and the lead humvee notices us. However, the gunner didn't see us, and instead focused his fire up and at the tail rotor of the helicopter, causing the vehicle to spin and smashing into the forest a few hundred yards away. 

"Oh what the fuck!" I scream as the crew scrambles from the helicopter. "Fuck peace! Smash that humvee Fenrir!" I order the dog as he changes directions to face the side of the humvee. I jump off the wolf before he takes action, putting his head down and sprinting into the side of the humvee. The armored vehicle crumples at the impact point, between the driver door and the back door directly next to it. However, the vehicle managed to stay upright, but the gunner falls out do to the sudden impact. 

I sprint forward behind the wolf, using him to camouflage my approach as I creep around the humvee, stalking the gunner on the ground. "I am but a sneaky snake." I whisper to myself as I slither around the side of the humvee and spot my prey sprawled out on the dirt road. Before I have the chance to charge in, the passenger side door swings open and a man with a M-4 emerges. I rush forward and grab the weapon with both hands, head butting the man in the nose before yanking the gun out of his grip and jumping front kicking the man, sending him and myself to our backs. I sit up and place the rifle butt to my shoulder, pulling the trigger..... **click!**

"Who the fuck carries around a empty rifle!" I scream and throw the weapon at the man, buying myself a second to get to my feet before he does. I charge over yo the man, dodging his punch and whirling around him, squeezing his neck with my bicep and forearm while taking his pistol out of his waist holster, pulling the man back with me as a hostage. 

"Easy.." I growl out as a warning, the rest of the convoy pulling up. 

"Drop it!" A soldier screams at me, a rifle aimed at me. I ain't dropping shit! They'll shoot me the second I do. 

"I think the fuck not!" I scream back at the crowd, inching my way towards the helicopter wreckage with my hostage in hand. "Maggie!?" 

I breath a sigh of relief when I hear coughing coming from the wreckage. "We're alright!" Maggie says, pushing debris out of he way as she crawls from the overturned helicopter. "Dad,you alright?" 

"Yeah, Maggie Im fine...." The Helicopter pilot says while struggling to untangle himself from his straps. "Brians unconscious though, give him a hand?" 

I notice a older soldier with a white beard, he looks out of place in the field. "Maggie! Some cap'n crunch looking mother fucker is out her staring at me." 

"Thats Hart! Dont shoot him!" Maggie yells, crawling her way under the wreck and pushing herself to her feet behind me. "Just relax Alien boy, this doesn't need to end in a fight." 

"It's a bit late for that don't you think?" I retort, gripping my hostage tighter and focusing my sights on General Hart. "How many of your friends did I kill?" 

It was bait, I wanted the fight, if they shot at me I could justify wiping them out, then my friends would be safe when I leave. But they didn't shoot, didn't even react to my taunting, even when I held my arm around a soldiers throat and threatened to kill a General. But hart? He didn't even flinch. 

"General!.." Maggie screams, moving in front of me and setting herself up in a potential crossfire, I take my finger off the trigger while she talks. "Please, lets talk about this! Lets.... lets make a deal!" 

"You know what we want sergeant..." General Hart replies in a monotone voice, unaffected by the heavy tension in the air. "Give him to us." 

"I ain't doing shit." I whisper to Maggie, her breath speeding up noticeably, looks like she could be having a anxiety attack. She's overthinking..... maybe Im overthinking? Maybe Hart has no intention of killing my friends. I mean he could've been intimidated by Carmine right? And that's why he wants me? 

"Carmines dead." I whisper to

Maggie and she looks back at me in confusion. "Say it." 

"Carmine is dead!" Maggie Maggie screams, keeping her hands up. Hart remains stoic, but a couple of the soldiers falter, a sudden relaxation of the shoulders and faces, their weapons would sway slightly before steadying on Maggie and I once again. 

"Dead?" The General questions and Maggie nods. He turns his attention towards me our eyes locking as if in a battle for dominants. "Is that true? You beat him?" 

"It took a minute, but yeah, he's dead.... permanently this time." 

".... and the other four?" 

"I got one hanging from a metal tree and ate the rest.... mostly." 

Maggie puts het hands down and let's her shoulders relax. "They're KIA General. You can go home." 

The man thinks to himself for a moment, as if weighing his options. "I wanna talk to the man in charge." 

"For fucks sake." My hostage groans, catching us all off guard. "Let me go! I don't like being touched!" 

"Aight man, chill." I giggle letting the man go. The man snatches the gun out of my hand before reholstering it and walking away. Maggie and I share a glance before a truck comes rolling to our position, the truck that contained my friends. The truck rolls to a stop before a badly beaten Simon is thrown out of the back, landing face first on the dirt ground,then the twins, Jacy, Toby, and.... 

"Eugene!" I growl, my eyes flashing in rage as the man crawls out of the drivers side of the truck. "Imma kick that mullet right off your skull!" I charge forward and grab the man by the throat, raising my fist. 

"Wait!" Toby screams and grabs my arm with both hands before I can rearrange Eugenes face. "He helped us! We couldn't have escaped without him!" 

I keep my eyes fixed on Eugene as he whimpers like a startled puppy, my eyes starring daggers into him. "He was gonna use me to make fucking vaccines! They wanted to keep me alive and farm my blood!" I growl, keeping my gaze on the scared man. "One punch." 

"Sure." 

A wicked smile crosses my face as I push the man harder against the truck keeping him in place. I throw a massive, brutal, probably Illegal right cross, connecting right on the mans ear, I didn't wanna risk knocking him out by connecting to the temple. A sickening snap rings out on contact, and the group behind me, including some of the soldiers, let out a shocked gasp. I let the mans neck go and he collapses onto the ground, clutching his left ear and writhing in pain. 

"Holy shit!" Liam cries out in a mix of astonishment and horror. "You just punched that man, and his entire lineage!" 

"Ya it was pretty good." I say, admiring my work as the man squirms, blood pouring from his ear. I think his ear drum bursts. 

The boy ignores my comment and continues. "Everyone who was ever related to the man just felt a overwhelming sense of pain!" He says and I giggle, walking away from the crying man on the ground and making my way to the General, his men still on edge. 

"You wanna meet the leader huh?" I ask, the adrenaline of the punch shook off the bulk of nerves I had just a few minutes ago. The man confirms his wishes, and I figure why not. 

"You can bring ten men, Im sure it's obvious why." I say, laying down my terms. 

"We keep our weapons." The man says and I agree. "We'll follow you." I nod and walk back to my friends as they put the injured man in the back and I realize.... Simon. 

"Did this one help you too?" I ask Toby and he shakes his head. "I figured." I say as I reach down and grab the mans chin, pulling it tightly and earning a choir of singing vertebrae. Tobys eyes widen as he gives me a startled look, his hazel eyes burning into my cyan ones as my tendrils come out of my lower back and attach to the corpse, gobbling him up. "I was hungry." 

"Yo-you couldn't ge-get a sandwich?" 

"He was the sandwich."


	21. A new world

I decided I would stay for the negotiations with General Hart, just incase the shit hit the fan. It went well, much battery then expected. Hart met with Rick, Maggie, and a battered Ezekiel, who managed to barely survive a ambush. It was tense at first, being at war just a few hours ago and all, however both sides found Carmine and the Saviors at fault, Hart being held hostage by Carmine and his tremendous power. We talked, haggled, and even laughed, finally coming to a agreement after a hour and a half of conversation. The military will have access to the Kingdom, the Hilltop, and Oceanside, all four parties working together to form a new state, and single state, something they call The New United States. Starting next reconstruction will begin in addition to attempts to reconnect to the American central government in D.C. 

Im leaving today.... coordinates all locked in and Fenrir by my side, all that's left is to say goodbye. Ive been locked in my room to avoid being overwhelmed by crowding, and people are filtering in one at a time to say their goodbyes, ask me questions for records, and bring me snacks. Its umm.... its been weird. 

"Yeah...." Tara says, standing by the door awkwardly. "We've like... never talked before." 

"We never seemed to have the opportunity." 

"Exactly!" She says a smile on her face. "Our timing was all fucked up, if you were at Oceanside I was at the Hilltop you know?" 

"Yeah.." I say. Social shit like this is something I've never gotten used to.... it's awkward. 

My shoulders slump forward as I attempt to make myself small. 

"Tell you what..." The woman says, her face lighting up with a idea. "If you ever manage to come back, we'll umm... bake a cake!" 

My eyes frizzle at the idea, Ive never baked anything before, especially sweets. "A cake?" 

"Yeah!" She says with enthusiasm. "A big cake! And we can decorate it and put strawberries in it and write rude things with frosting!" 

"That sounds fun!" I say with a smile, coming out of my shell a bit. "I'll definitely come back." 

"Great." She says inching towards the door. "I'll make sure to find a good cake making oven!" She says as she waves and exits. "See yah!" 

"Bye Tara." I say just as she closes the door, letting out a shaking breath,being social is exhausting. I put on a brave face as the door creaks open revealing Enid. 

"Hi Dindu." She greets and I relax, I know I can be myself around her. "So you're actually leaving huh? You excited? Or are you nervous?" 

"Both." I admit as she crawls behind me, scooting her legs on each side of my hips as she grabs onto a lock of my shoulder length hair, twisting it into a braid. "Im always nervous before travel." 

"You'll be fine." She says in a soothing voice as she braids my hair. "Why didn't you ever get a haircut? You'd look nice with short hair." 

"I thought you liked braiding it." I lied with with a giggle, the real reason is because I didn't wanna ask someone for a haircut. "Every time you see me you braid my hair, do you think Carls jealous?" 

"Nah, not with you." She says, and I can hear her voice heighten slightly, indicating a grin. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I think he likes to see you happy, I mean you tend to spend a lot of time alone." 

I shrug my shoulders, taking in the information. "I didn't know Carl was worried about stuff like that." 

She lets out a little snort, apparently finding something I said funny. "We both were." She admits, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and pressing her body against me. "You're one of us after all, of course we worry about you." 

I absorb this information, not really sure what to do with it. "Why? Is it because I look young? Or is it my accent? Or..." I ramble on, listing adjectives before Enid shooshes me gently, her breath on my ear. 

"It's nothing like that." She says, giving me a little squeeze. "I think we're just overthinking it. You're not human after all, but we expect you to act like one." There was a long pause before she continues. "There was one day, a couple months ago. You were just pacing back and forth for hours, talking to your self in some language I couldn't understand, you didn't even realize we were looking at you. Usually you sense us from a mile away, but you didn't that day. What was that about?" 

I tilt my head as I think, wracking my brain and searching through my memory.... nothing. "I have no Idea...." I admit with a shrug "But If I had to guess, it was probably just anxiety." 

"You get anxious?" She asks. "That's okay, I do too." She admits and I look at her over my shoulder, examining her face. She won't tell me if I ask her what makes her anxious, she's always been a bit secretive about herself. 

"You know, your the only person to braid my hair?" I say, bringing up a new topic of conversation. "I used to have a buzz cut when I was in Afrika, and it grew out a bi inside the walls, but you're the first to braid it." 

"Really? Im glad...." she says but trails off, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Dindu?"

"Yeah?" 

"Do you really forget everyone? I mean when you travel?" She asks, with a microscopic tremble in her voice, a apprehension in her tone. 

"I'll forget your name." I admit, letting my voice become a bit more sincere. "I'll forget your face too. But I'll remember the way you talk, the way you move and the things you say." Maybe that will be some sort of ummm.... whats the word? Comfort. 

The girl scoots beside me and grabs my wrist, sliding something onto it. "Me, Carl and Judith made this for you?" 

"Judith made something?" 

"Judith was in the room and therefore helped... so yeah." She explains with a giggle. I look at the foreign object that was now attached to my skin.

"What is this called?" I ask, admiring the design and colors of the thing. 

"Its a bracelet." She says, using her index finger to trace the carvings in the little wooden pieces held together by a piece of string. "That's you,me, Carl and Judith." She says, each icon representing a person. A book for Enid, hat for carl, rattle for Judith, and a U.F.O for me.

"Im not a alien." I giggle out and look at Enid, allowing myself to make eye contact. "Thanks." 

"Don't mention it." She says, standing before wrapping her arms around my shoulders and I return the gesture, squeezing her torso. "And for the record... I would have let you watch." And just like that she lets me go and walks out the door leaving me perplexed. 

Another knock on the door. "Come in!" I scream and the head of Carl Grimes pops in, his blue eyes meeting mine. "Hi cousin ." I greet the boy and my eyes flare. 

"Hi Dindu." He greets me as he enters the room, closing the door behind him. "Did Enid give you the bracelet?" He asks, and I raise my hand, showing off the colorfully bracelet wrapped around my wrist. 

"She also told me she'd let me watch." I say with a wink, he rolls his eyes at me but chuckles. "So you've come to say your goodbyes?" His eyes flare at me for a moment before he charges forward, tackling me onto the bed before I could react. 

"Ohhhh Im gonna miss you!" He says, hugging me tightly and I giggle at his affectionate outburst. 

"You're gonna come back right? Eventually?" I wrap my arms around the boy and squeeze him tightly, savoring the bond that grew between us for a few moments. 

"I'll try my best." I say, letting go of the boy. He scoots beside me and I rest my head on his shoulder, something that's pretty common for us, the awkwardness faded away along time ago. "I'm supposed to bake a cake with Tara." 

I feel his shoulders shake as he chuckles at my words, probably imagining me taking my time to bake a cake. "Hehe I'd love to see that!" He says with a bit of enthusiasm, apparently cake makes people happy. "Just imagining you, using your weird fire hands to make the cake cook faster tickles my insides." 

"It would be delicious!" I giggle on the boys shoulder. "But highly radioactive. Only you and me could eat it." Im not actually sure if it would be radioactive, but It very well could be. "Just think of it as extra flavor." 

"Sounds spicy." Carl says, scratching the top of my head. "So... you'll come back?" 

_He wants a definitive answer doesn't he?_

**_Probably._ **

"Yeah. I'll come back." 

"Great!" He says, giving me a quick hug before exiting my room. "Don't forget!" He screams as he closes the door. 

"I wont..." 

I know I will. But fucking hell atleast I get to say goodbye this time. I haven't been so lucky in the past. 

A jolt of electricity shoots through me, and I rub my eyes, pushing the stining sensation back. The door opens again, and Toby's bright hazel peaks around the wooden barrier. 

My eyes stung once again as they light up, "Hey!" I call happily, waving at the boy by the hip. "I was starting to think you weren't showing up..." 

A chuckle escapes his lips as he slides into the room, closing the door behind him. "There was no way I was gonna miss your sendoff." He said with a smile, his eyes lighting up blue for a moment before settling back into their natural, hazel color. "How is it even gonna work?" 

"Dont know. Get eaten by white hot flames and end up somewhere else. I dont really know the science behind it." I say, tilting my head as I talk. Honestly my theory is that these dimensions I visit are stacked on top of eachother, and that the bubble is a sort of bridge between them. 

Alright maybe that doesnt exactly clear it all up, but its the best I got! I didnt exactly have the chance to apply for college or anything. 

I can see him smirking at me, the type of smirk that lets me know I said some dumb shit. "Oh Im sorry mister psychologist! Is my theory wrong?" 

"I think you mean pycisist and I honestly dont know. The world went to shit as soon as I got into college." Toby said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I was a english major anyways." 

A chuklleaves my lips, the eyes flashing with the briefiest sense of amusment. "You said that with so much pride! Hehe..." 

There it is. That feeling of excitement mixed with a healthy dose of anxiety. The fear of leaving the safety of the house is trampled by the curiosity to explore the unknown. I see Fenrir perk up and look at me, and for a moment we hold eye contact, as if he knew too. 

"I.... I think its time for me to go." I say, what was usually a radioactive flash held a steady glow in my eyes. 

Toby's face changed to a expression I couldnt read before he lets out a deep breath, a calm smile on his face. "If you say so..." He says, maintaining the smile. His hand reaches down and grabs mine, pulling me off the bed and onto my feet. "Can I walk you out?" 

Of course I wasnt gonna say no, so instead I just smirked and entwined my fingers with his, fenrir following close behind. "Such a gentleman." What? You really think I was just gonna leave without teasing him just one more time? Not a chance. 

He pushed the door open, and I felt the sun on my face. It made me wonder, does the sun change too? I mean the earth changes. The people, the enviornment, the technology. It only make since that the sun changes too, right? 

But the sun always follows the same path, is the same color, and stays in the place. So I cant help to feel that if I can jump from one dimension to the other, the sun can too. 

Listen fuckboi, Im not here to debate astrophysics with you. I know it sounds dumb as fuck. But if you jumped around as much as I do, you'd have these thoughts too! 

The cool air fills my lungs, the taste almost sweet, and I cant help but savor it. Not too many people are outside, news of my feelings towards crowds probably spread. Rick and his people are here, along with Dwight. 

I expected Toby to let go of my hand when Jacy came into view, but he didnt and I couldnt surpress my smirk. " _I bet shes jelly."_

"Hm? What was that?" 

I chuckled again. Sometimes is fun being the sole speaker of a language. I can talk shit infront of people and they never know. 

I glance up at him and say, "Oh, its nothing. Just a little preperation prayer is all." He bought it immediatly with a nod, and I surpressed my laughter. 

I gasped when I felt a icy chill hit my skin, my arm growing goosebumps instantly. "This is the place." I say, Fenrir sitting beside me as if to confirm my suspicions. 

Now comes the hard part. 

It doesn't feel like it does when I use my psionic blast, the static doesn't exactly climb up my spine as much as reverberate around me. I had to let go of his hand before the white flames began to flare up, tha sparks igniting in the air around me. 

I can see fear in their eyes and I say, "It doesnt hurt." In a multylayered voice. The flames were around Fenrir now too, his just as bright and powerful as mine. "Well, I guess this is-.." 

"Wait Dindu!" Toby cuts me off, as if I could just halt the proccess at will. "I need you to promise me something!" 

A promise? I guess I could try and remember. "What is it?" 

"I need you to promise that if you find out what you are, you'll come back and tell me!" He says, almost yells as the flames begin the burn my body away. Was that it? He wanted me to fulfill some sort of curiosity for him? He's taken up the job of being the worlds newest historian after all, so I guess that makes sense. "Promise me!" He screams again, or maybe he didnt? Maybe these flames were making my hearing sensitive. 

I let out a sigh, the snow white blaze dancing in my breath. "I promise." I say before he disapears from my sight, replaced by a blinding light so bright it should be painful but somehow isnt. 

And then their was nothing. I couldnt see. No light, no darkness. I couldnt even see black. I saw nothing, felt nothing, thought nothing, but for a moment.... 

_I swear I remembered everything._

————————————————— 

**_Running diagnostics....._ **

**_Heads up display: Online_ **

**_Automatic regeneration: Online_ **

**_Alma personality matrix: Online_ **

**_Flesh skin: Active_ **

**_Combat skin: Energy required_ **

**_Leviathan skin: On standby_ **

**_Weapons: On standby_ **

**_Shields: 40%_ **

My vision slowly began to appear, the nothing ness being replaced by mirky blue. Naturally I felt confusion, until the realization hit me.

_Holy shit, I'm underwater!_

My shield pushed me up and through the surface, my head poping up to get a bead of my surroundings, and my god, what a sight it was. 

A landmassive with hundreds of buildings on it. Big ones, little ones, each with their own colors and personalities! But what really got me was the people.

_God, theres so many people._

I launch myself to shore, my shield keeping me from retaining any moisture despite being submerged in it. My body cut through the waves at a explosive pace before launching me up and onto a wooden pier, luckily out of sight. 

**_Orientals? We must be in some asian community._ **

_I've never seen so many in one spot. Are you taking notes?_

**_Always._ **

I stepped into their view with my hands up, a few men who were chopping fish stopped and glanced at me for a second before returning to their work. I couldn't help but tilt my head to the side and whisper, "Okay? I think Im accepted now?" 

The men wore some sort of hairnet and apron uniform, something I cant remember seeing before. "H-hi!" I call out, waving at the men. A majority of them ingnored me, but a few waved and yelled something I couldn't quite under stand. 

**_If you want to understand them, keep em talking._ **

"So, can anyone tell me where I am?" I ask in english, only recieving giberish in response. Although their is one word that stood out.

"Hokkaido." 

At first I thought they were trying to put some sort of spell on me, but I eventually realized it was a name. Well not the name of a person, it was the name of a place. "Hokkaido?" I ask, and the men smile and nod in confirmation. "We have a location." 

**_Cheers and applause._ **

_Thank you Alma for the sarcasm._

**_You're welcome my dearest Djimon._ **

_I'm your only Djimon._

I make my way through the busy market, my bodysuit attracting a good deal of attention. I manage to get through the stares of the crowd and emerged at a surprisingly busy street. Holy fuck on a cross thats a lot of cars. None of them are on fire either! What a strange world this is shaping up to be. 

I step into the street only to jump back when a car skids to a stop and blares its horn at me, the driver apparently very angry at my actions. "What I do?" I yell, holding my hands to my sides while the man speeds past me. 

I see people gathering on the sidewalk on the corner of the steet, their eyes on a red hand sigle across the ashphalt. I wandered into the crowd, surprised that I managed to be taller then a good amount of people, which felt good honestly. 

Hehe, look at these short little fuckers. 

The light turns the green, and the crowd begins crossing the street with me mixing into the herd. This place is packed to the brim with people! I wonder if this is one of the larger cities of this dimension. So many colors! So many smells! So many people..... 

_Too many people._

I felt the shift in my stomach, my curiousity quickly being drowned out by my desire to escape the crowd. My skin grows hot before I spot a nearby allyway, the empty corridor practically calling my name. With a shove I make my way through the crowd, a few people telling at me, although I ignore them. I run into the ally and attempt to calm myself down, mentally calling out what I see. 

Red bricks, green dumpster, brown cardboard, red blood, blue cup, green toy.... 

**_Not only did you see it, you mentally called it out. I can hear too that you know._ **

It wasnt a puddle so much as spatter, the red liquid dripping onto the ground near me. I look up to see a body hanging upside down, his shirt down and his jaw missing. I spot something shiny on the mans chest, and zoom my vision inorder to make out that its a police badge. 

"A police man? This place must have a functioning government." I whisper to myself. A shadow catches my eye, a man in a robe it looked like. "Hey!" I call out, and the man begins to run. "Wait! Don't go!" 

Of course the man didnt listen, so I charged up my static and bounced from one wall to the other until I got to the top of the roof, the man already a good distance away. "Come back!" I scream running after the man. We move roof top to roof top, from one place to another. He cant pull away from me, but I cant catch up to him either! "Stop running you bitch!" 

The robed figure dives into another ally way, its black and gold clothing flapping in the wind. I follow its lead and dive down after it, expecting him to run away but instead finding him waiting. 

"It takes a special type of fool to chase a ghoul." He growled. The man looked mote hungry then angry. "You don't look like a dove. You something else? American?" 

Oh good the translator is working.

"America is a thing here too? _Whats going on Alma?"_

**_Nothing. Its just a coincidence._ **

"So you're not American, and you're not a dove. So what are you? Atlas? Anchor? Something else? You dont smell like a ghoul." The man takes a step closer and sniffs the air, growling. "Hmmm, you dont have a scent at all." 

"Stop smelling me its wierd." I growl back, alarms blaring in my head. This guy is something else ain't he? 

Of course he didnt stop, and took another step forward. I placed my metal foot behind me defensivly, sensing a impending assault. "If you dont want me to smell you..." he says, his sclera turning black and his pupils turning red. 

"Then how about a taste instead?" 

Okay, I like to think im a pretty quick guy. But if you think I anticipated that thing growing golden wings and charging foward at blinding speeds you are sorely mistaken. Or I am, as this thing sinks its teeth into my shoulder, his teeth managing to dent the biometal on my suit.

I roll with the momentum and get back to my feet before my back is slammed against the concrete wall, his hand around my throat. He's deceptively strong, even if he is a little bigger then me. My neck was in a vice grip, and I struggled in his grasp, my normal strength almost laughable in comparison to his. 

The thing is, I'm deceptively strong too, my eyes flashing as I peel the mans hand off me by the wrist. I slam my palm into his sternum, the man stumbling back. He jumps backwards, his golden wings flashing before a hail on needles come crashing down on my position. 

My guard goes up and the shield goes with it. The needles slam into the barrier before clattering onto the ground. "Are these coming out of you!?" I yell, kicking the sharp needles away from me. "Thats weird bro." 

"Im not your fucking _bro!_ " He growls landing a good ten feet in front of me. I feel the gravity around me lessen as we both blitz foward, his gold wings shimmering like the electricity in the air around me. He jumps foward, and I release the energy around me by swinging my fist foward, the distortion slamming into his chest and launching him backwards and out of the alley. He smashes back first into a parked car, the chaises bending on impact, though he himself seemed realtivly unphased. 

Dude didnt even wobble, and just pushed himself off the crushed vehicle with his teeth bared."You should be dead already." I grumble, getting ready for what ever comes next. The fucking creature managed to leap a good forty or so feet in the air before barreling down at me like a falcon to a rat. He straigtened out, and his left wing managed to clip my shoulder, leaving a nasty gash that healed in a matter of seconds. That assault was followed by another, then another, and soon I found myself in a flurry of wings and fists. 

I felt the static charging in me, a ball of enegry cocentrated in my chest that suddenly burst, firing flames and lightning through my entire body. The creature is sent backwards and clatters onto the street, a series of flashing lights and cars rounding the corner and stopping behind him. Several men wearing the same uniform that police officer was earlier stormed out of thier vehicles and pointed thier pistols at us, screaming orders. 

"They're ghouls! Take them out!" 

A orchestra of gun fire echoed around us, and I had to literally dive behind that same car I had crushed moments ago. Small arms fire wasnt much of a threat, but I'd rather not take any unnecessary damage. The bullets slam into the car with a furocity I didnt expect, one that simple 9mm rounds shouldnt be able to provide. " _Special ammo?"_

**_I assume so._ **

I let out a growl when a bullet pierces the vehicle and narrowly misses my head. It was a rash decision, I know, but I couldnt help myself. I charged up the static, popped out, a fired a massive, electrical wave at the cluster of vehicle, killing a good number of the cops. Blood and limbs and screams splattered around the area. 

What ever civilians saw the fight decided it was in their best interest to run away, a wise decision. I feel the air shift around me, and I swing around only to be lifted into the sky by the ghoul, his teeth gnashing at my throat as to use my hands to try and keep him away. Suddenly we bank down, and end up on the top of some bakery. 

I slam my elbow into his face and onock him a few feet away, my hand up by my chin. "You should've run!" I scream, the air around me igniting in a blue flame. His golden wings gleamed in the sun, and the sick bastard actually smiled at me! I think he's actually enjoying this... 

"You really think I wanna miss out on all this!? Youre the first good fight I've had since that little freak in California!" He screams, smiling with bloody teeth. I don't care if the blood is mine, his, or some cop's at this point. I just want him dead! 

He pushes foward with his wings, launching himself at a accelerated rate. In all honesty I dont think I even saw him do it, and my body managed to react without my brains comprehension. His wing just barely missed my scald, and I fired a punch right into his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. A simple rotation and suddenly I found myself behind him, slamming his head into the tile roof below us. 

Flames in the air around me helped me hit harder, move faster, be better, and I was definanlty winning this fight. I charge up, feeling the static in my fist, as I slammed it down into his face with a force even I didnt expect. He smiles up at me with one eyebrow raised.

"Missed me..." 

The roof collapses, and I suddenly feel like im sinking in quickand. Usually Id be able to blanket out and slow my decent, but with all the debris collapsing onto me and dragging me down I quickly found it to be impossible. "Ah, shit!" 

Fucking building with there fucking five hundred pound wooden beams! You know how difficult it is to do a pushup with a beam that size on your shoulders!? Plus all the other debris stabbing into your sides and pining your legs down?! Also this building came down way too easily. Whoever verified it for earthquake safety needs to by hung in the streets. 

I feel my eyes burn hot, my muscles aching from the weight, but I manage to push myself up to my feet. The dust shimmers around me and ignited in the air. I dont know if you've ever smelled burning dust before but it aint exactly pleasant. 

The cracking of gunshots hitting my shield from behind made me jump, the bullets swaying in the air like they had hit water. I turn and fire off a thunder clap, missing a majority of the cops but still tossing one of their cars down the street. I dont wanna waste all my energy on those fucks with that winged bitch around, but god damn they were annoying! 

I swear, I didnt mean to growl, but I snarled like a hungry animal. "Leave!" I scream, the flames flaring out before dying down. The cops that survived the blast limped into a alleyway, dissapearing behind the corner. "Good." 

There is a fucking plethora of alley ways in this fucking city apparently. Not even a exacerbation, like seventy percent of the city is fucking alleys. I saw that gold winged freak smile at me before slipping into another one. There was no way I was gonna let him slip away! No until I can figure out how to kill it. 

So I sprint after it, my legs still a little shakey from the buildings collapse on me. I fight through the ache and sprint after him, preemptively charging the static in my lower back. 

As I predicted he was waiting for me, a blood stained smile on his face. "You don't know when to quit huh? Fine! Im always up for a free meal!" He snarls, his wings flashing gold before a hail of needles come my way. 

I manage to jump over the projectiles and push myself off the side of a brick wall, my hands raised over my head like a angry gorilla. I slam my fist into the ground, the concrete cracking as red lightning spread across the ground like the roots of a tree. Like vipers, they strike out at him, eating through his robe and bringing him to his knees, a scream echoing through the alley. 

"Earn your dinner you winged faggot!" I scream, taking a step forward. He glares up at me before muttering something under this breath, his wings pushing him up and over the building, and I realize he's running. I take a step forward... 

_"Stop!"_

I stop dead in my tracks not because the words command me to, but because of the language they were spoken in. _Summarian_ is supposed to be a _dead_ language, but the words were spoken so easily... 

I look over my shoulder and see he staring at me, taking slow steps forward with a weapon in her hand, barrel down. She was beautiful, but strange.

She had smooth, milk chocolate black skin, and dark black hair. A odditiy in itself considering this is a asian community, but thats not the strangest thing about her. It was the eyes.... 

Green, bright green at that, not just a rare gene, but a nearly impossible gene in dark skinned people. It reminded me almost of my own radioactive blue eyes. They were scanning me, just as I was scanning here. 

" _So that is you."_

I shake my self out of admiring her and remember the laguage issue. " _How do you know this language!?"_ I ask, my foot sliding into a defensive stance. " _How do you know me!?"_

**_Careful with this one._ **

She didnt stop her advance, and a grin grew on her face. It wasnt smug, or sinister like that ghoul's grin from before. No, this was genuine, like seeing a long lost friend.

" _You don't remember me?" She_ asks. I shook my head, but her face didnt change in anyway. " _I remeber you, chieftain."_

" _Chieftain?"_

**_I have the word in here, but I dont have any context to go with it._ **

I growl. I dont like that this chick has designations in Alma's dictionary that she doesnt even know the meaning of. " _Whats a chieftain?"_

There it is! The change of expression, like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie Jar. _"Oh? Ehhh nothing really."_ She says. I really really dont like this....

I take a step back, but keep my glare trained on her." _Well this had been fun and all but it's weirding me the fuck out so imma go now. Bye bye."_

_"Wait! Don't you wanna know about your past!?!?"_

I stop again, shock changing into anger. She defiantly knows me, theres no mistaking it now. But not inly does she know me, she knows I don't remember anything! My fist clench into a ball as I stomped forward, the static charging in my lower back again. I swear I had no intention to hit her! I just wanted to make a show of force. 

She put a stop to that almost immediately, her hand striking out to a spot right above my ear. Naturally I jump, my body readying itself for a fight. But, you see, she found that spot that pretty much turns me to Jelly. I couldn't help by close my eyes, no matter how much I tried not to. _"How did you know to do that?"_ I ask, suppressing the purr growing in my throat. " _How do you know any of this?"_

_"Oh child."_ She says in a soothing. The image of a wise grandmother popped into my head, and I had to remind myself this woman was twenty at the absolute most

" _Don't worry, I'll explain everything.... in time."_


	22. In the lobster tank

**_So... you did it huh? You finally managed to finish that book you've been working so hard on._ **

Okay, listen. In my defense... 

**_Oh! Wait! You had it just sitting in your phone since 2017? What were you doing with it all this time? Surely making corrections._ **

Well I mean... 

**_Oh wait! I remember now! You decided 'hey lets change the main characters name the Dindu and give him a metal leg! Won't that be neat!?'. And was it lobster? Was it neat? Please tell me how neat and impassioned your book is._ **

Okay, you don't need to be so hostile.... 

**_Oh what's that? It was a chore? How could that be? I mean you just love the walking dead dontcha? It's like your favorite show ever?_ **

Actually... 

**_No? You didn't even finish the seventh season? But the whole book takes place at that time! How could you be so accurate with the time lines!? The continuity Lobster! Continuity! The characters!_ **

Well I mean its kinda weird writing with other peoples characters.... 

**_You dont like the characters!? Why in the fuck did you make a book if you dont give a fuck about the characters!? Who's your favorite character? Is it Daryl?!?_ **

Well.... 

**_Whatcha mean you forgot to put him in the book!? Oh thats right! You had him in one chapter, realized he wasn't in the book, and went back and erased him completely. How great for you to erase the most popular character in the entire show! Who's supposed to carry the audience huh? Dindu? Toby? Literally no character has any star power._ **

Well I thought Dindu was interesting. He's funny, strong.... and stuff. 

**_One moment that boy is a god amongst men and the next he's a scared puppy. Whats the middle ground. Why is he so inconsistent? He was raised by monks but has no discipline? He's a former soldier but acts on impulse? Are these good qualities for a battlefield?_ **

Well I mean if he was human.... 

**_Oh, that reminds me! We made literally no progress in finding out what he is._ **

Thats for the next book. 

**_Record scratch, freeze frame. Next book? Your bitch ass is writing another book?_ **

Well....wrote.

**_You wrote a second book!? Wrote? As in past tense? As in its done? Is it the walking dead again? Do you plan on just making up the story as you go again and butchering whats left of the resemblance to the original story?_ **

No, its actually a Tokyo Ghoul story now. Did you even read the last chapter of my book? 

**_No. No one did. You don't even read most the shit you write._ **

The new one is actually significantly better then this one. 

**_Well that bar ain't exactly high now is it sweetie? Sigh, guess Ill give it a shot them. Alma signing out._ **


End file.
